Yaoi Ocean 3
by excelsis
Summary: This story follows the original plotline as much as possible. In fact, the only *real* difference is all the yaoi. Pairings will include FaytxCliff, FaytxAlbel, AlbelxCliff, and CliffxAlbelxFayt--yay for that last one. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

I do not own Star Ocean. If I did, I probably wouldn't be typing this; I'd be off blowing all my money from the game… likely on more games. And if I did own it, it might go a little bit more like this fic than it really goes…

Furthermore, if you don't like yaoi, don't read it, you moron. Criticism will placed for all to see and mock (and shall also be laughed at).

If you don't know what "yaoi" means, this might be too much for you.

**Chapter One**

_Confusion_

Fayt wasn't too sure how he felt about Cliff—not entirely anyway. The guy had rescued him from one underdeveloped planet only to crash-land on another. At least the first planet, Vanguard III, had been more hospital. The people hadn't been so suspicious… at the very least, they hadn't ended up shackled, thrown in prison, and tortured.

He found himself glaring at Cliff, who sat beside him, on occasion. How were they _ever_ going to get out of here—especially after Cliff told Mirage not to come rescue them? Fayt wished he had demanded to stay with Mirage: Out of the two of them, she seemed the more sensible. Even still, she did seem to trust Cliff for whatever reason, so maybe she wasn't as sensible as she seemed. Fayt certainly didn't trust Cliff though. Not after this.

"Hey, what're ya glarin' at me for?" Cliff demanded.

"It's your fault we're here," Fayt hissed. He believed that the term was "out of the frying pan and in to the fire." It fit the situation at any rate.

Cliff opened his mouth, as if he were going to set him straight, thought better of it, and closed it again. He stared up at the ceiling, watching a stalactite forming in the corner from the dripping water. It really was cold. Colder than… Well, colder than some things. He rubbed his back against the wooden post on the cot. The place between his shoulder blades itched something terrible. He strained at the restraints a little bit. He knew it wouldn't do any good, but he would try anyway. They were called "restraints" for a reason. He tried rubbing the spot on the post, but it just didn't do it.

Fayt was watching him curiously. It must have looked awkward. "_What_ are you doing now?" he wondered incredulously.

Cliff shrugged a shoulder—as best he could anyway. "My back itches. Drivin' me crazy."  
Fayt rolled his eyes, shaking his head a little. He pulled his legs up against his chest. "Serves you right anyway."

The Klausian made another failed attempt at scratching that irritating place on his back. Damn! He ground his teeth in frustration at his inability to reach the spot. "Hey, Fayt. Scratch my back for me."  
"My hands are tied too," Fayt pointed out.

"I know that. Just turn around and scratch with your back to me." Fayt sighed and stood up and walked over to him. Cliff turned. Fayt blindly poked and prodded until he found the place under Cliff's direction. _This is weird!_ Fayt thought. And then, _Cliff is really muscular. _He thought of his own body—lean, but not very muscular. Maybe he should have worked out a bit more—built up some bulk or something. He felt really inferior next to Cliff, and it was a lot like comparing a scrawny puppy to a wolf kind of inferior. To say the least, he was a bit jealous. He heavily sat down again. "So, you learn anything?" Fayt asked.

Cliff nodded thoughtfully. "Yep," he answered. Fayt raised a questioning eyebrow. "The whips on this planet hurt too."

Fayt thought he might start screaming and foaming at the mouth. However, he managed to restrain himself; the freezing cold helped. He had been down here too long: His toes were numb and so were his fingertips. He could see his breath as well. He talked with Cliff a while longer. He was beginning to get the idea that Cliff, at best, was an optimist, and at worst, over-confident. He didn't like it; he was more of a realist.

"Here she comes," he said, gesturing out the cell door. Fayt looked up. He was half-expecting a head of defiant blonde hair, but instead, the one who had felled the guard was a rather pretty redhead with a proposition. Albeit, it wasn't much of a proposition.

Her name was Nel Zelpher, and Cliff more or less decided for them that they were joining up with her. It made Fayt wonder if, had the inquisitor been a pretty girl instead of a hefty man, Cliff would have cooperated. The thought was a bit troubling.

They followed her out the dungeon, incapacitated a few guards, and headed in to the aqueducts. The tunnel getting in to the aqueducts was dark and icy in a few places. To say that it was a bit cold was like saying a tree was a bit wooden. But anything was better than awaiting their doom in a prison cell.

Fayt's hand brushed something. He gave a start and automatically backed up, in to Cliff. Cliff grunted in surprise. Fayt slipped on the ice, catching Cliff's arm with his leg. Cliff fell on top of him. Fayt's face reddened. He could feel Cliff trying to get up again over his back. His body heat was kind of nice—the only real heat source here was each other. It was tempting to stay that close, but freedom beckoned. The sudden chill on his back was worse than before. It had been nicer when Cliff was there; he had felt warm enough to remember what it was like to _be_ warm. Besides, the way Cliff's muscles had flexed when he got up on Fayt's back had somehow felt really good—maybe because of the heat, or maybe because… Fayt wasn't sure about another reason. It must have been the warmth.

"Fayt, what are you doin'?" Cliff demanded.

"S-Sorry," he stammered. Fayt clambered on all fours again. "I touched something. I don't know what it was."

Nel piped in, "There are rats in here—if you find a carcass or two, it wouldn't be surprising."

Fayt shuddered. A rat carcass. At least it was too cold for the carcass to do anything in terms of rotting. Still… a rat carcass. He made sure to avoid the place he had touched it this time. He was dying for a good shower. Yes, a shower would be wonderful. The top of his head brushed the ceiling. "It's getting lower," he called back nervously.

Nel's voice was calm and reassuring. "Don't worry; it gets a little more narrow up ahead, but it shouldn't be a problem for either of you."

Yes, a shower was definitely in order. His hair felt grimy from touching the ceiling of the crawlspace, to say nothing of his hands and knees. But it wasn't only that; he hadn't had a single opportunity to bathe since that morning when the Vendeeni attacked Hyda. He must have been smelling pretty rank by now.

Mmm, a hot shower just sounded divine. Shampoo, conditioner, soap… Ah—soap! The thought of cleanliness spurred him on. He knew that this civilization probably wasn't advanced enough to have showers yet, but they would have baths, certainly. Yes, a bath. He could work with a hot bath too. But it had to be hot—not warm, but hot. The kind of hot that would turn his skin completely red. He didn't mind looking like a walking sun-ripened tomato, but it had to be hot.

The cold chilled him to the bones. What a time to be wearing shorts.

He hoped that Sophia, wherever she was, wasn't this uncomfortable.

He shivered in the cold. Ah, the exit! He clambered out of the hole and waited for the others. He looked at his hands and made a face, swiping his palms on his shorts. He crossed his arms, shivering. If it were possible, it was even colder here.

Cliff and Fayt followed Nel through the aqueducts. There was a monster inhabiting an area, but it was no real threat to them. Strange, though, that something could live in such a place. The running around from the battle, though, made him feel warmer. It would do no good long-run though. He had looked in to the matter after playing basketball outside with some friends one time in the late fall. He had felt warm, but after he cooled down, he was freezing. It was because of an increased heart rate and breathing in cold air that cooled the body internally. They needed to warm up—and fast.

Nel was in the lead. Cliff was trying to chat up Nel, but she was politely steering the conversation towards her goal. She sure had a one-track mind. Always her mission…

Fayt felt a bit dizzy. It must be the cold. He was starting to feel warm too—not a good sign. But he had to keep moving. If he stopped, he might never get up again. How could people _live_ in such a harsh climate? He thought about all the stories he had heard of people dying from things like frostbite and fever in the cold.

He shivered. He couldn't think about stopping. If he thought about it, he might succumb to the urge. Instead, he thought about basketball scrimmages and different plays, staring downwards so he didn't step on some ice and slip or something. It was fairly slippery in places. He didn't notice when the other two had stopped walking and nearly ran in to Cliff. He stopped and looked up at him.

"You all right, kid?" he asked.

"I'm fine. It's just the cold," he answered.

"Right." Cliff looked back at Nel. She had apparently been telling him a bit about the aqueducts, and they had stopped so that she could point at a wall, where it was carved out. She was saying something about how the city was above them. Fayt shivered at that thought. The weight of a whole city bearing down on them…

He stamped his feet, waiting for Nel to finish. It was really cold. His stomach growled. When was the last time he had eaten? When he couldn't immediately remember, he decided that it was too long ago.

Fayt fainted without any kind of warning. One second, he had just thought he was a bit hungry and cold, the next he was unconscious. Luckily for him, Cliff had swift reactions, and had caught him before he hit the ground. Fayt's eyes opened—it had been a quick five-second blackout.

"You want to take a break?" he asked. "You're sure straining yourself."

Fayt shook his head. "No, really. I'm okay. The cold is getting to me, and I'm a bit hungry is all."

Nel pursed her lips. "If you were having trouble keeping up, you should say something. It will only slow us down if you don't."

Fayt tried to stand. "I'm fine—really." He stumbled and fell-right back in to Cliff's arms. He groaned, feeling his face heat with embarrassment. At least it was heating with something.

"I'll carry you for a while," Cliff informed him. Fayt protested, naturally, but it did no good and in half a second, he was in Cliff's arms. Cliff followed Nel. Fayt sighed and accepted his… fate, no pun intended. Cliff's body heat was kind of nice anyway. Fayt couldn't remember being carried. Ever since he had learned to walk, his parents hadn't carried him. It suddenly occurred to him that a groom might carry the bride over the threshold a bit like this. He groaned quietly at that. If Cliff noticed, he never mentioned it.

Fayt was really quite light for a boy his age. It was rather surprising, actually. Even with the heavier outfit and the sword, he didn't weigh a whole lot. It was a positive thing, though, because it meant that Fayt wasn't a cumbersome burden. Besides, he was keeping Cliff's chest a bit warmer that way. It really was cold. He should have given the kid something to eat when they got on the ship too; he had just never thought about it, what with the Vendeeni attack and such. All the same, he felt a bit responsible. Fayt was, after all, his charge. Which is why he was carrying him, right?

"I can walk now," Fayt said. Cliff immediately set him down. It was suddenly a bit colder. An odd shadow of loss passed over him and was gone. Fayt walked a bit ahead of them, mostly to hide his red face. He wiped at his nose. The tip of it was getting cold. He sniffed a little. Fayt hoped he wasn't getting a cold.

He paused, looking at the path ahead. "What is it?" Cliff wondered.

"Nothing. It's just icy," Fayt said, staring at the frozen path. There was no way around it. Slipping would be dangerous.

"Well, I guess we'll have to be careful."

Nel stepped to the fore. "I'll go down first. Fayt, follow me."

Fayt chose not to say anything, but she was putting him in the middle on purpose this time—in case he fainted again, or something else that was embarrassing. He wanted to go home. _This would be easier with a pair of ice skates_, he thought.

To Fayt's delight, he didn't fall. Cliff, however, wasn't so fortunate. Intent on studying Fayt, in the event that his charge should fall (and potentially break his neck), he hadn't been paying as much attention as he should have to where he was putting his own feet. Consequently, he fell and landed on his rear end. Nel turned and frowned. Fayt stifled a laugh before he extended his hand to help him up. Cliff accepted, as the ground was icy. Things did not go according to plan.

You see, Fayt had approximately one third of his right foot on the icy path, and, upon helping Cliff up, he put more weight down on that foot. Surely, one can see the error of his ways. To no one's surprise, Fayt lost his balance. Cliff, not yet having obtained proper footing, also fell back down on his posterior. Fayt ended up face-down on Cliff, or, that is to say, in Cliff's lap. Fayt groaned and rolled over, beginning to hate his life. Cliff, adversely, laughed and got up on his own. He pulled Fayt to his feet and pushed him ahead of him. Both were more careful around the next icy place.

Nel sighed deeply and took the lead again. There was one more long stretch of ice, but this ice was only just thick enough to walk on, and there was water below.

"Be more careful here," she told Fayt. "It's not completely frozen, and if it cracks, you could fall into the water, and then there's nothing we can do to save you."

Fayt almost protested, then shut his mouth. He had fallen several times since they had come to the aqueducts. Granted, it wasn't always exactly his fault. Cliff smirked. "Want me to hold your hand?" he teased.

The college boy pouted. "I can walk on my own, thanks," he retorted. The other only laughed and followed the woman across. It was a relief when they made it out of the place, though, and in to the open air, even if it was more dangerous and the wind chill was worse out here.

Nel reminded them of the importance of leaving as quickly as possible. As neither Fayt nor Cliff knew the city very well, Nel led the way out, using back roads as often as possible and quickly stealing through the open city gates. There was a covered wagon waiting. They climbed inside and immediately went on their way.

Nel addressed one of her two subordinates. "Is there any food? Fayt—" She gestured to the blue-haired youth. "—is famished."

The girl looked thoughtful and nodded. She opened a small box and pulled out a bundle. "It's only field rations, but it will tide you over until we get to Kirlsa."

_'Kirlsa…' _ Fayt thought. _Must be a town_. He accepted the rations. After a moment, he offered some to Cliff, who declined. He was more interested in information than food. Nel told them about the current situation with Airyglyph, the country they had landed in. Her country, Aquaria, seemed to be gradually losing, and they wanted Cliff and Fayt's technology to win. It just didn't sit well with Fayt. Cliff may not care, but there was the UP3 to consider. Violation of the UP3, the planet preservation act, was rather severe. It prohibited contact with a people from an underdeveloped planet, like this one. Fayt cringed inwardly at the thought that they had crash-landed in a city. They _couldn't_ have picked a worse place, could they?

Besides that, why were people living in a place so cold and barren anyway?

However, speaking of the people of Airyglyph, one of the three Brigades had caught up to them. Fayt didn't understand the entire situation quite clearly, but it was clear enough that they were in trouble. The decision was made to abandon the girls—Tynave and Farleen—with the wagon and the other three would escape on foot.

Fayt was horrified and protested, even after they had left, which made Nel grow cross. It wasn't right to abandon a comrade like that. But, he hated to admit it, she had a point. If they had all tried to escape, they would have been picked off. But the idea that people—albeit complete strangers and nothing more to him—had risked their lives and will probably lose them to help him… it gave him a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach.

Cliff didn't seem to like it any more, but he saw the foolishness in trying to make a stand and so he didn't bother to even suggest it. Instead, they trudged on foot to Kirlsa. Fayt had a bit of a dizzy spell. What was wrong? Probably all the activity, coupled with little food, the high elevation, and the cold air.

Nel and Cliff were a bit worried that he might not make it to town. He felt like a child. _They're both older than me,_ he thought. _But that doesn't mean anything. I'm just too weak._ He had never really felt so weak before the attack on Hyda. But now… Now he felt weak. _I need to become stronger._

_Once this is over…_ he thought. Then, another thought struck him before he finished that one. _The ending seems a long way off._

Kirlsa was a town that depressed the individual upon seeing it. It made it obvious that it was a town devoted to the war efforts, somehow. It was a hard town, in a difficult place. Everything seemed to be the same colour of the dull rock and useless soil—and the people reflected that. Of course, not all of them, but many of them.

Nel took them to the inn and left on some errand. Fayt sat down heavily in one of the chairs in their small room. While he wasn't too thrilled about being in this place, a bed sounded pretty appealing—even if it wasn't anything he was used to. He was pretty tired and footsore; he'd sleep like a rock no matter what happened. Cliff stretched and looked out the window. There wasn't much to see, and he turned away.

Fayt contemplated going to bed early, but decided that, for the moment, he was more restless than tired. He arched his back, pulling the muscles taut for a moment. He relaxed again, sagging a bit. The movement had felt good. He rolled one of his shoulders and massaged a knot on his neck. Now that he was trying to relax, he felt all of the little aches and pains that he had been able to ignore while on the move.

"This place is pretty bleak, isn't it?" Cliff commented dryly.

Fayt glanced up at him. To Fayt, everything seemed pretty bleak right now. The environment might as well be bleak too; it fit his mood. He changed the subject before it really began. "We can't really afford to waste our time here with these people."

Cliff shrugged a shoulder in seeming agreement. "Yeah, but what else can we do? We don't have anything that will send a strong enough signal. That Greeton place, though—if we can get there, we might be able to use their technology."

Fayt pursed his lips in thought. "Yes, I guess so." He glanced away. He was worried about his father, mother, and Sophia. Fayt stood up. His feet protested the movement, but he was getting restless and sitting still seemed impossible. "I'm going for a walk."

The Klausian nodded absently, then turned toward Fayt, grabbing his arm before he walked out the door. "Don't do anything unnecessary. We're still in the red zone, got it?"

Fayt scowled. "Yeah, I know."

Cliff's grip relaxed, but he didn't release him. Fayt could pull away if he wanted to. _If he wanted to…_ Neither moved, but both looked at each other for what seemed a long amount of time. The seconds slipped by like sand in a child's hand. Fayt looked away first, feeling some colour rise to his cheeks. He hurried out the door.

He walked around the town, though there wasn't much to see. The people seemed oppressed somehow. They had a starved look in their eyes—and it was more than the country's apparent lack of food, but something else. There was fear there. After some thought, he realized what it was. What kind of place was this that the people would be starved for something as universal as to have the yoke of fear removed? What they were starved for was freedom from that fear.

But afraid of what? He listened to the townsfolk talking. They spoke of the war, of their king, of their lords. One spoke of a religious persecution. Fayt quickly realized what seemed so wrong about the town; people were gone. Not missing, but accounted for and dead. At that, not just dead, but martyred. A lump rose in his throat and stuck. He didn't like this place.

In his wandering, he saw a figure speaking in hushed tones in a secluded place. It intrigued him, so he came closer and realized that it was Nel the other was speaking to. The two quickly noticed him, and ended their conversation. Nel dismissed the town person.

She addressed Fayt, "That was one of my subordinates, who gathers intelligence here in Kirlsa." She looked up at the sky. "It's getting dark. Let's head back to the inn."

Fayt nodded wordlessly and walked with her silently back to the small inn. He considered that strange look that he had shared with Cliff. What was that? What was going on? Why had it made him blush, and why did he feel strange thinking of it?

When they arrived at the inn, Nel seemed to remember something, and vanished outside again. Fayt sighed and went upstairs. Had she just wanted him to stay at the inn? Why not say so? His stomach protested that he wasn't feeding it. He sighed again. Was there a bakery or a grocer somewhere in town? Maybe he should get something…

Instead, he kept walking up the stairs robotically. He came up to their room. Cliff was fiddling with his scanner, frowning at it. Nothing on it indicated anything out of the ordinary though.

"How was your walk?" Cliff asked conversationally.

Fayt shrugged. "Bleak, like this town." He glanced out the window again—perhaps for somewhere to rest his eyes, because it certainly wasn't worth the effort otherwise.

Cliff put his scanner away and leaned back in the chair he was sitting in. "So, you think about helping Nel out?"

Fayt moved his mouth around a little, trying to work out a way of answering. He finally shook his head. "Not really. It just doesn't sit well with me."

"Whatever you say." Cliff peered at Fayt's face. "Kid, you better get something to eat. You're lookin' awfully pale."

"I am?" Fayt wondered. He wondered if he looked as starved as this town's inhabitants. Likely not. Their words echoed around in his mind. The training facility outside town, and the executions that had taken place there… How terrible.

"You'll make yourself sick if you don't eat and rest, and then I'll have to carry you all the way to Nel's country—Aquaria," Cliff said jokingly, but his eyes were serious. Cliff stood up to get a better look at his charge's pale face.

Their height difference was made more apparent to Fayt in such a small room, so close together. He looked up at Cliff. Cliff leaned down a little, getting a good look at Fayt's eyes. "Yep, that's no good," he commented. He may have been about to say more, but never got that far. Fayt wasn't quite certain of how it happened, because he was sure that Cliff hadn't moved, and he was sure that he hadn't moved. It was like both of them were suddenly there, their lips just brushing each other's in a tentative, unsure kiss.

Each reacted differently to it. Cliff straitened and looked away, raising an arm to scratch his head, and to hide his face. Fayt did an about-face, eyes wide. Had it really happened?

The door opened before he had time to contemplate it or say anything about it. He sniffed the air. Food!

Nel was carrying a bundle of something edible. She set the bundle on the rickety table. Steam buns-Not much of food, but something. To Fayt, they looked wonderful. "Both of you, eat up. You must be hungry."

The steam buns were divided between the three of them, Nel having the smallest portion. Fayt hurried through his small meal and quickly went to bed. He didn't sleep until the other two had retired and it became quiet, and even then, he drifted off contemplating what had happened before Nel had walked inside.

When he awoke, he wondered if it had even happened at all. He decided that he must have imagined it. It didn't seem real. It was possible that he had just thought it had happened. After all, all of his dreams had simply been a twisted version of the previous day. It could just be a part of that dream. Besides, Cliff looked to be untroubled by it. Yes, it must be a dream, albeit an odd one.

They traveled to Arias through an old mine rather than the road. The road would be littered with Airyglyph soldiers looking for them. The mines seemed a more practical route, given the circumstances. They needed to stay out of sight as much as possible. There was a tremor in the earth a short way in to the mines, just after they had passed the entrance. In the distance, they heard something like a small rockslide.

"I hope that didn't block our path," Fayt commented.

Cliff scowled, as if just by saying that, it could be so. Nel looked ahead, squinting in the darkness. "That sounded close. I'll scout ahead. You two stay here."

"But it's dangerous by yourself—what if more of the mine collapses?" Fayt demanded.

Nel nodded. "That's why you two are staying here. If there's another while I'm gone, I might become trapped. But if you're not trapped with me, you can help me get out." She hesitated. "However, should anything happen to me, I need you two to head to Aquaria on your own."

Cliff nodded. "Gotcha."

They watched her go. Fayt couldn't help marveling at her wit and her strength. He certainly wouldn't want to go through this place alone. Fayt leaned against a large boulder. "I hope Nel will be all right."  
"She'll be fine. Call it a hunch."

Fayt rolled his eyes. He _hated _Cliff's "hunches." He looked after where she had gone, listening. "Hope your 'hunch' is right."

"They always are," he said, his over-confidence near-bursting. Fayt started to say something flippant, but his words were smothered. Cliff's lips covered his, drowning his would-be words as well as scrambling his thought process. He made a startled, strangled noise. Fayt felt like he was trying to swim in chocolate pudding, mentally anyway; he could decide what to do, or on an appropriate reaction. He finally gave up trying to put the pieces of his scrambled mind back in place. Slowly, he relaxed as the other man's tongue ran over his cool lips. It was strange. He had never thought that… Wait, what?

He struggled for a moment in fear. Cliff pushed him against the rock. He stopped struggling. The fear faded to be replaced by… delight? He moaned when Cliff's hand ran over his abdomen, exploring the dips and curves of his stomach and chest. Just as quickly, suddenly, and confusingly as it began, it stopped. Cliff pulled away. Fayt felt suddenly empty and even disappointed. Cliff stalked away, almost disappearing in the darkness, leaving Fayt more or less alone and puzzled.

What was going on?

A note from the author: Did you like it? I hope so! Anyway, if I get a large enough amount of requests, I'm going to make this into a doujinshi!


	2. Chapter 2

In retrospect, I offer you this link (with no rights to its contents) to reference the actual storyline, as I didn't feel like typing out all the things that they actually say as that would take FOREVER, so if you want to read the actual script, here you go: .com/console/ps2/file/536705/32690

**Chapter Two**

_Rescue_

Once they reached Arias, they met with a woman named Clair in a mansion in the middle of town. Clair was more or less in charge of Arias, or the protection of it anyway. She seemed adequately capable, but Fayt wondered if it was enough. Looking at all the hopeful but frightened faces of the town, it was like watching something at the brink of ruin. He felt guilty looking at them, knowing that he might be able to help them. But then he thought of all the ordinary, frightened people in Kirlsa. They would be hurt if he helped this people. His stomach twisted in knots over the entire thing.

It was strange. War had always been something on television, or read about in books or news articles. He had never seen it like this. Amazing—there was such a difference twixt seeing something with his own eyes and watching something from thousands of light-years away. Seeing the people in Kirlsa and Arias had been so real. So different from seeing war refugees on a screen, even though this place was underdeveloped, the basic principles were still the same.

He didn't have much of an appetite. He wondered what had happened to those two girls with the wagon—Tynave and Farleen. He didn't have to wonder long, though. Clair was quick to brief everyone on the situation. They were being held at the training facility in Kirlsa, also having been a place of religious execution in the recent past. It was agreed that the terms of their release were unreasonable, as they wanted Fayt and Cliff for Tynave and Farleen. Clair had decided that it was not going to happen. It made Fayt sick to think that he could save them, and that the two were going to die because of him. Nel had a hard look on her face, as if she had quietly decided something, but never said a word of it. Fayt doubted that it was silent acceptance of the inevitable.

After the meeting was adjourned, Cliff went up to their room and Fayt followed in his wake. They inspected the lodgings to find that it was much better than Kirlsa. The room had a nice view, and the beds looked comfortable. Even Arias, so close to Kirlsa, was a softer land, more lush and green. The people too, were softer. They weren't hungry and they didn't look starved like the others had. He felt more comfortable here. It struck Fayt as eerily strange that the two towns were so close but so different.

Night was falling quickly. Fayt glanced at Cliff. So many strange things had happened lately. Why did he feel… was the word "attracted"? Why did he feel that way? Was that even right? "Cliff…" Fayt started. He glanced at the door. It was securely shut, but not locked. "About… about… I mean… in the mines…"

Cliff glanced back at him. "Yeah?"

Fayt's face turned red. Cliff almost smiled. The colouring actually looked good with his blue hair and eyes. It made him look… cute, actually. "I mean… Er… Oh…"

"You mean this?" Cliff leaned forward and kissed him again. Fayt's lips softened, yielding completely. What was happening? Cliff pulled away. "I just felt like kissing you." He neglected to mention that it seemed strange to him too. Albeit, there was no use denying yourself urges. What was the point in that? He had never really felt attracted to a guy before, but he wasn't totally against the idea either.

There was just something attractive about the college kid. He was cute, sure, but there was something about his personality too. Perhaps it was the innocent air he portrayed. And he was so malleable! In truth, only one thing really bothered him and it was a bit superfluous: It was only that they were different species. But, their two species were very much alike in many ways, even if they weren't the same.

If it was possible, Fayt's face got redder. He looked like a tomato with blue hair. Cliff almost said so, but said blue-haired tomato began to speak. "Isn't it weird?" he demanded.

Cliff laughed aloud. "Only if you make it weird."

"But isn't it? It couldn't _get_ any weirder," bemoaned Fayt.

The blonde's mind immediately dropped down into the deepest, darkest, dirtiest parts of "the gutter." He could think of a lot of ways it could get "weirder." As a matter of fact… Fayt seemed interested—mostly anyway. He had a few things he needed to get over, but he seemed pretty compliant. He kissed the boy again, pushing him against the wall. Fayt moaned against his mouth. He shuddered when the older man's hand roved over his body, touching the exposed skin and peeling back layers of clothing on what was not exposed. Fayt was panting by the time he was half-naked. Cliff started pulling down his soon-to-be uke's pants. Fayt regained himself and grabbed Cliff's wrists.

"We… we can't," he protested, eyes wide and frightened. "There's people here… What if… And… We're both guys… We can't… I mean, how would we…" Fayt sighed, flustered.

"I'll show you," Cliff whispered in a voice that relaxed Fayt's grip on his wrists. "And don't worry about the people. If you can keep quiet, it won't be a problem." He looked at Fayt's eyes. He saw fear, apprehension, nervousness and… Cliff smiled. Excitement. He tentatively hooked his fingers in Fayt's shorts. He waited a moment to test the other's reaction, but Fayt made no movement to stop him. To the contrary, he shuddered again. His breathing quickened.

Fayt stood before Cliff, completely naked, blushing slightly and feeling more than a little bit awkward. Cliff leaned down, trailing his tongue along Fayt's erection. Fayt moaned, trembling. He touched the inside of the kid's thigh with his fingertips. He seemed confused. He pushed gently. Still a little confused, Fayt spread his legs apart as indicated.

Fayt gasped in surprise at what Cliff did next. He squirmed uncomfortably. A sweat broke out on his brow. His jaw tightened. He had never even considered _that_ an option. He was about to voice his protest, but the finger roved higher, deeper, and then out, then in again. He made a small, soft sound in the back of his throat that sounded almost like a purr. He arched his back, groaning, his arousal just rubbing against Cliff's body with their close proximity. Cliff couldn't stand it any more. His tongue darted out, wetting his lips in anticipation.

He removed his finger. Fayt sagged with the loss of it. The Klausian stripped off his clothes. Fayt had a fleeting moment of inferiority, but then Cliff picked him up in one strong arm. He put his back against the wall. With his other hand, Cliff positioned himself. "It's going to be a little rough. Be quiet, okay?" he whispered in his uke's ear. Fayt nodded. Cliff gently eased himself inside him, trying to be as gentle as he could with the Earthling. Fayt grimaced. His eyes watered. The entry hurt. Cliff held him, not pushing against him, but not pulling out either—just staying there. Slowly, Fayt breathed in deeply and relaxed. Seeing that Fayt had recovered, Cliff pushed more in to him, stopping when Fayt seemed like he was in a lot of pain. It occurred to Cliff that this might just be his first time. _That_ pleased him. If he derived no more pleasure from the experience than that, that would be enough.

"Are you all right?" he asked Fayt. Fayt nodded and replied with nothing more than a soft moan. "I'm going to move a little harder, then, okay? Tell me if it hurts."

He nodded against his shoulder, his arms wrapped around him, his legs pulling him tighter to him. He liked the way Cliff's chest felt against his bare flesh—all that hard muscle moving felt wonderful. He liked the way it felt to feel all the muscle flexing and relaxing; the movement sent a wave of delight through him, meeting the other wave of delight from what Cliff was doing to him, crashing together in an explosion of lust, passion, and pleasure. Fayt almost cried out loudly, but bit down on Cliff's shoulder. The blonde moaned gently.

They had to be quiet, or risk mortal embarrassment—maybe more.

Fayt squirmed, pushing himself against Cliff. He couldn't believe how _good_ it felt. He had never thought that anything would feel like this. He had never even really thought this was possible. How could it be?

All his thoughts were swept away like seashells in the tide by another wave of pleasure. Cliff pushed Fayt harder against the wall, but not hard enough to make much noise. This should end soon. You never know if someone will walk in. He stilled himself for a moment. Fayt whined in protest, squirming against him, trying to move on him, but pinned in such a way, it was difficult. Good—watching him was pleasing. Cliff slammed hard in to him. Fayt opened his mouth, but choked back his voice—silently screaming. Again, and again.

"I'm… I'm going to…" Fayt stammered nervously, his face flushed, sweat dripping down his brow.

"Just a little longer," Cliff pressed.

Fayt looked at him. He wasn't sure if it was possible to hold out any longer, but he would try. "I'll try," he gasped. It was enough. A few more thrusts, a few more caresses, a number of passionate kisses, and it was over. They were both sticky with sweat, saliva, and other things; their hair askew and bodies trembling with the exertion. Cliff panted. Fayt gasped, trying to catch his breath.

His eyes suddenly snapped open wide. "You're falling out… It's… running… down my…" Fayt's face reddened at what he heard himself saying, and he made a noise that indicated his distress.

Cliff nodded. "Hold on." He set Fayt down on the floor. Fayt's legs almost gave out, but he managed stay on his feet. He cringed, feeling the evidence of their embrace running down his legs. His toes curled in discomfort.

"Cliff…!" Fayt whined. Cliff threw him a towel from the supply in the washbasin table. Fayt used it to clean off the semen running out of him, twitching slightly every time more of it ran out as it wasn't the most pleasant of feelings. Cliff had another towel and was cleaning himself up. After Fayt finished, he set the towel down in a small empty basket he assumed was for dirty towels. Cliff handed him a second towel, this one damp. He ran it quickly over his body, getting rid of most of the sweat and grime. He truly wanted a real bath, but this would have to do. He longed for some soap. He spotted a bar at the washbasin and all but ran to it. He scrubbed himself down twice and rinsed with the towel. Cliff was getting dressed again, as if it had never happened.

They retired to separate beds.

In the morning, Fayt looked nervously at Cliff, who was already awake and washing his face. He wondered if it was just a fluke—like maybe he would pretend it never happened. That one moment of doubt was shattered when Cliff looked back at him. He never said anything, but he didn't need to, as the lust in his eyes was evident to Fayt. Pleased, he slid out of bed, feeling a little sore, but not unpleasantly so. In fact, the soreness actually felt good, because with every ache and with every pleasing stretch that brought relief to the ache, he remembered why it was sore. He stretched and washed his face when Cliff stepped aside. Cliff gave Fayt a quick kiss before he departed from the room, a troubled look on his face.

Fayt wondered what was wrong. He followed him after he washed his face and dressed. The water had been sitting out all night, but it was better than nothing. He walked out of the room. _I wonder where Nel is._

He knocked on her door. Not getting an answer, he said, "I'm coming in." He opened the door. Cliff was standing in there, alone. He looked back at Fayt. "Where's Nel?" the Earthling wondered.

Cliff shook his head. "Let's ask Clair."

They headed down the stairs and to the conference room. Clair looked anxious about something. When Fayt asked about Nel, she at first tried to tell them that she had other duties to attend to. Neither Fayt nor Cliff bought it, so Clair caved and told them the truth—that Nel had gone to Kirlsa Training Facility by herself on a brave but futile rescue mission.

The general conclusion was that Cliff and Fayt were going in after her. Clair left it to them and they headed back to Kirlsa.

Past Kirlsa was the training facility. Its gates were even open and poorly guarded. It was a trap, and a more obvious, mocking trap, Fayt had never heard of. They walked right in to it knowingly.

The facility was a big building, and a lot of places looked the same. They found an elevator sort of thing, but it was locked. Later on, they found a set of stairs leading to the second floor.

Fayt groaned after they had made a complete circle back to the stairs. "All these rooms look alike!" he moaned, leaning his head irritably against the wall. How long had they been searching this place only to come up empty-handed? "Where could Nel have gone?"

Cliff scowled. "Don't give up like that. There were some rooms we passed that we didn't go in to. There's probably another set of stairs in there. Let's go look." Fayt cast him a dubious glance, but otherwise said nothing. Eventually, they found another set of stairs leading up. They didn't find anything of interest immediately, but they found a kitchen. A giggling, flirtatious girl gave Fayt her spare key to the elevator for being "cute." Never mind what he was there to do. Fayt wondered, vaguely, if she had been told to do that. He felt like a snare was slowly springing around him. _It shouldn't be this easy._

Eventually, they found Nel, and just in time. She was cornered by a group of guards. In came the cavalry, and they defeated them. They headed down to the elevator, as none of the prison cells here contained either Tynave or Farleen. They must be more heavily guarded. There was no place left but upstairs.

Fayt wasn't too comfortable about getting in to such a device as the elevator, but there was no choice to be had. It would be too easy to ambush them. The top floor, only one escape route—the elevator… It screamed "trap." But they couldn't abandon the two either, not if they were this close already. So, they went.

The top floor had a short hallway and opened up to the roof, which was an open area. Tynave and Farleen were at the far side, restrained against a turret in a spread-eagle position. They screamed in hoarse voices for them to run, that it was a trap, but they already knew that.

"They're coming!"

So they were. It was a pompous official, someone of the Black Brigade that had its base at this facility. No one of real import, but the guy deserved the inevitable smack-down when Nel, Fayt, and Cliff defeated them.

Nel let her subordinates down and they ushered them toward the door. A voice stopped them. They turned around. Nel's eyes widened. Fayt recognized it as apprehension. Her hand trailed back to her weapons. Fayt looked up at the figure. At first, he thought it was a girl, but the voice was distinctly male. That, and he had no breasts. But what man wears a skirt? Not only that, but a purple skirt with gold trim and red lining and a slit that goes all the way up the side, exposing quite a bit of leg? In fact, if the skirt were a little bit shorter, or a breeze happened by… He really had attractive legs... for a guy.

Nel identified him as the captain of the Black Brigade, the best swordsman in Airyglyph—Albel Nox. Cliff had a comment or two about that coupled with the man's attire, but he thought better of saying it aloud. He looked like a stuck-up jackass, and he talked like one too. In the end, though, he let them go, claiming that he "had no interest in trouncing weaklings" and stalked off.

Cliff looked like he wanted to rip his head off and stick it on a pike, or maybe something worse. Fayt's blood was boiling too, but now wasn't the time. Instead, they took what they got, and made their escape back to Arias. Nel confessed that she was glad he had no interest in fighting with them. Fayt took that as a sign that maybe the guy really was as good as he bragged.

Tynave and Farleen more or less went straight to the doctor. The other three went to see Clair. She was relieved at their success. She looked like she had been worried the entire time they were gone.

However, now, they needed to head to Aquios. It was getting late in the day, though, so they stayed one more night and made the journey in the morning.

That night, Fayt climbed in bed with Cliff, hungry for more of what had happened the night before. Cliff obliged him gladly. Silently, the two bodies intertwined, making a mess of the blankets. It didn't last long; they had another long day ahead of them after all, but it was fulfilling and they were still sticky and hot afterwards. Fayt cleaned himself off and Cliff did so after. Fayt fell back in to his own bed, smiling softly to himself. Cliff ruffled his hair on his way by, but otherwise said nothing.

The Earthling was still understandably worried about his parents and Sophia, but that couldn't stop him from experiencing a little joy in life.

In the morning, they set out again. The countryside in Aquaria, compared to Airyglyph, was a literal feast for the eyes. It was luscious and green and teeming with life. Airyglyph had been a perfect opposite. After his experience at the Training Facility, he decided that it fit the nature of the people there, whereas the beauty of Aquaria seemed to fit the people here. He wondered if it was the place that shaped them, or they that shaped to the place.

The next town they reached was a trading town called "Paterny." Nel said she had some business to attend to and Cliff wandered off to explore. Fayt did likewise, but on his own.

There was a place here that surprised him, though: A guild for inventors. Fayt talked with the receptionist for a while and decided to sign up. Excitedly, she gave him the run-down on the entire guild and the workshops in every town. She also gave him a communicator. Fayt could only stare at it for quite some time. He had _not_ been expecting something that advanced on this planet. It looked pretty primitive compared to his, but for this place… it was so advanced that it almost made him uncomfortable accepting it. Perhaps he would unravel that mystery later.

He headed back to the town square. He didn't see Nel or Cliff anywhere. He sighed and sat on the church steps to wait for him. A girl greeted him. She shocked him, because she looked just like Sophia, but her real name was "Ameena." They stopped and talked for a time, before Cliff and Nel showed up together. Cliff teased him a bit, but Fayt got the idea that he was a bit jealous, which pleased him a little.

The girl excused herself. Fayt fingered the pendant she had given him. A good luck charm, she had said. He wondered about the girl's cold. She had done nothing but cough since she had sat down to talk to him. He hoped that she was all right.

Everyone was hungry and footsore, so they stopped at the outdoor café for lunch. Fayt wasn't very hungry, and had a few bites out of a piece of pie before he excused himself. He went for a walk while the other two ate. The girl said her name was "Ameena." Was she really okay? More than that, it was so strange that she looked so much like Sophia.

_Sophia…_ He hoped that she was all right.

He walked down a street and heard two women speaking in high spirits. Their voices drifted through an open window. He couldn't see inside because of the drapes, but one of the voices was Ameena's. Of that, he was certain. He looked at the small house it was coming from. It had a flower garden in the little yard, and seemed homey. He knocked on the door and poked his head inside. "Hello?" he wondered.

Ameena seemed happy to see him again. The other woman was apparently her middle-aged neighbour. There was a string of flowers sitting out on the table, and they told him about the nature of the flowers. "String a thousand of them together and the goddess will grant a wish." Ameena had several wishes. The wishing charm seemed to Fayt that it probably wasn't too likely to really work but it was important to keep hope alive. He wished her luck on completing her project and bid her goodbye.

When Fayt got back to see Nel and Cliff, Nel had wandered off again.

"Someone came up and talked to her, and she decided that we'd stay the night here," Cliff explained.

Fayt sighed. "Nel is really busy, isn't she?"

Cliff shrugged a shoulder. "She's an important woman, I guess. She said there's an inn on the west side of town and she secured lodgings for us."

Fayt nodded. "Let's go see it then." He glanced at the sky. The horizon was darkening. They really had been out all day. It was probably better to stay here than keep going anyway. The two "illegal aliens" walked to the inn. Fayt told Cliff about the inventor's guild and showed him the communicator. Cliff had the same suspicions that Fayt did, but neither of them could explain why it was so hi-tech for this society. It really was a mystery.

They discussed a few ideas about it, but none of the ideas they had led to anything. The most they could really say about it was "I don't know."

Nel showed up some time later, looking weary. She bid them goodnight and went to a separate room.

Fayt almost requested another sexual experience with Cliff, but said Klausian was already asleep. He sighed deeply and kicked off his shoes. Fine. He turned down the wick on the lamp and climbed in to bed himself. It had been another long day. His muscles were a bit sore from all the traveling anyway, and once he laid down, he didn't want to move either. Needless to say, he slept well, but thoughts troubled him, slipping in to dreams. Sophia, his parents, Ameena too. His dreams of late seemed to be trying to warn him of something. But what? Were they all in danger?

Despite his dreams, he woke feeling rested. They were just dreams, after all.

After a light breakfast, they headed out of the inn. Nel was telling them about the rest of the trip to Aquios, but a woman outside cut her off.

"Thank goodness!" It was the woman he had met at Sophia's house. She informed him that, out picking flowers in the forest, Sophia had collapsed and was unconscious. The woman obviously wasn't strong enough to carry her, so had come back for help. Fayt volunteered to go by himself but Cliff and Nel had none of it. That decided, the three took off for the forest. Nel told them about how the forest, as of late, was infested with a group of bandits known as "Moon Shadow."

In the forest, they met a small fairy in need of water. Fayt left to get her some from one of the springs. Afterward, she told them about how some of the trees had warped in to monsters. Cliff's solution to the problem was mindless violence—aka, burning the trees down. The fairy had a simpler plan, and that was to kill only the monster-trees and not the entire forest. Considering that they were _inside_ the forest, this seemed like a good idea. The fairy came with them as their guide.

They traveled through the forest, looking for Sophia. There was a shack in a small clearing. They decided to investigate it, in case the bandits had found her and they put her inside. It was unguarded, but why would they need to guard it? No one came this way. However, what was inside wasn't worth rescuing—a Menodix child, and a real brat at that. His name was Roger.

For some reason, when Fayt heard his voice he thought of an old television show. (Author's note: Kudos to anyone who gets that!)

Bandits came in shortly after. Roger "ordered" the mixed-race trio to attack. They sighed and beat up the bandits with no problems. Nel freed the child. He begged to be brought with them, claiming that he "knew the forest." In exchange, if they found the bandit leader, they were to kill him and take a certain item from him. Roger wanted the item to "prove he was a real man." He then told them about a contest with another child from the Sanmite Republic to steal the item… which explained how the kid ended up locked in a cage. Nel decided to bring the obnoxious brat with them if it meant that they could get through the forest faster.

Upon leaving the shack, the bandit leader appeared—and he was a pretty evil-looking guy. Nel dispatched him like she would any menace to Aquaria. Roger collected his item with glee and thanked Nel, and grudgingly thanked the other two as well, as they had helped out.

They eventually found Ameena deep inside the forest, past a foggy area in a field of flowers. They escorted her back to Paterny and made sure she got home safely. Nel got her a doctor and took care of the bill by calling a favour, as the doctor was one of her subordinates.

Listening to Ameena and then to her neighbour about how the war had torn apart Ameena's family, leaving her by herself and separated from her childhood friend, Fayt made the decision to help Nel. The killing, the bloodshed, and the heartache had to stop. Nel was delighted. Cliff seemed to almost have expected it.

Fayt bid his friend goodbye to Ameena and they headed to Aquios.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

_Destruction_

Aquios was a rather pretty town, and very clean. The people seemed open enough, but worried about the war, understandably. Anyone in their right mind would be worried.

Nel led them in to the Castle of Aquaria, and to the queen. Lady Nel was half-expecting Cliff to say something inappropriate, but, to everyone's surprise, he didn't. After a brief report and a lengthy greeting and exchange, the queen thanked them for their assistance. She called in a guard and the guard showed Cliff and Fayt to their room. Cliff looked around the room a bit and informed Fayt that he planned on going to look at the chapel they had passed by earlier.

Fayt frowned. _That_ certainly didn't sound anything like Cliff. He wondered what he was up to. Fayt decided that it was probably nothing good. _Maybe I should keep tabs on him, or at least check on him._ Fayt recalled how Cliff was hoping that there were "hot temple babes." Fayt twitched. And what about all the times they had had sex…! He sighed, exasperated. He went for a walk instead and found Nel. She seemed a little busy, and recommended he rest, as tomorrow would be another long, exhausting day.

He sighed. Those kinds of days were all they had any more. Still, his body ached a little less from the exertion, and he could feel his muscles toning. It was a good feeling—albeit a tired one.

He found himself in the chapel and decided to ask Cliff what he was up to. Exactly as he suspected, there was something going on. He guessed it was good news—any news at all was good. That saying "no news is good news" couldn't be more wrong; he didn't like worrying about the unknown; it only made things worse because his imagination ran away with him. Mirage was on the move and had the emergency communicator from the _Eagle_, Cliff's downed ship. His father was still in Vendeeni hands—his heart sank a little at that. No news of his mother either. Apprehension gnawed at his insides. He hated being stuck here with no hope of getting off any time soon. He wanted so badly to do something. But they could do _something_; Mirage had the communicator. All she needed was a power source.

What could they use? Maybe some of the technology here could be modified to accommodate it? Fayt was dubious.

There was no news of Sophia. Fayt bit his lip, worried. He wished he had some real news—anything. Anything was better than wondering about what had befallen Sophia. His imagination always seemed to make matters worse than they already were—and things were pretty bad right now: Crash-landed on an alien planet, an underdeveloped one at that, getting in a weird relationship with a guy of all people, and a Klausian too. Not to mention getting tangled up in a war between two 17th-century countries. _What a mess!_

Fayt let out an exasperated sigh and went back up to the bedroom. It was still light outside, but he went to bed anyway. He pulled the curtains closed, washed his face, and yanked off most of his clothes. He fell in to bed. He wanted to go home.

Why did all of this have to happen? He just wanted things to be normal again. He wanted to go home, to attend college classes, hang out with his friends, play some basketball and video games. Was that really so much to ask? A tingle of guilt welled up inside him. What had become of Sophia? He wished that he had gone to the beach instead of playing games back on Hyda. Too late for that now.

A while later, the door opened and shut. Fayt lifted one eyelid, looking at Cliff. His eye closed again. He heard Cliff undressing. Didn't mean anything. He had, after all, gone to look at "hot women." _That_ made him angry too, but why, he wasn't exactly sure.

Suddenly, Cliff climbed on top of him. Fayt rolled on to his back, looking up at him. "You up for another go?" he asked.

Fayt grinned unexpectedly. So, going to look at hot girls didn't mean anything… if he still came back to Fayt. "Yeah," he breathed. The blankets that separated them were pushed aside. Cliff yanked off Fayt's shorts and threw them on the floor unceremoniously. Fayt swallowed in anticipation. He still felt a little sore from last time, but he wasn't going to let something like that stop him.

Cliff pushed one of his big fingers in to Fayt's mouth. Fayt sucked on it, coating it with his own saliva, running his tongue over it, caressing it. He gave a sucking kiss to the tip of his finger. Cliff inserted a second one, shuddering a little as the boy moved his tongue over them. He could imagine what that would feel like to a different part of his body, and it was almost as good as the real thing.

One thing about the kid—he really had to hand it to him—he was a fast learner. Cliff pulled out his fingers after they were sufficiently lathered. He moved them quickly down between Fayt's legs. The Earthling parted his legs for him eagerly, greedily. First one finger, then, when he was ready, the second. Lathered, it wasn't as uncomfortable as it had been before. Fayt felt his heart pounding like a drum, the blood ringing in his ears and the tune something primal. Heat rushed to his groin. He squirmed, but not in discomfort. He pushed harder against Cliff's roving fingers, his own fingers twisting in the sheets. He began to moan. His moan was captured in the other's mouth.

"Shh," he reminded him. Fayt nodded vaguely. He knew to stay quiet. It was just hard when it felt… _Oh_…

Cliff pulled his fingers out, only to put _himself_ in, filling the empty void as quickly as it had been emptied. He pushed back, softly, but as far as he could. Fayt kept his mouth clamped shut by sheer will, twisting, his head moving from side to side as the scream sought to escape his throat. He finally let out a low whine and a panting shudder. It reminded Cliff of nothing more than a dog in heat. It excited him.

Fayt's fingers roved over Cliff's muscular body, touching the flexing muscles he so enjoyed, his tongue caressing his neck and his shoulder, leaving trailing wet kisses. Cliff slid in and out of him, sometimes fast, sometimes slow, sometimes hard, and sometimes soft. It always seemed to be exactly what Fayt wanted at exactly the right time. _Perfect_.

Time slipped by in to oblivion. Time—what was that? Nothing else existed—nothing else that mattered anyway. There was just this endless sea of unholy pleasure. He had never imagined that something like this could _feel_ so _good_. Cliff pushed all the way inside of him and held it there for several seconds, watching Fayt writhe in bliss. He felt… really full, he guessed. Like there was no room for anything else. The blonde pulled almost all the way out and rammed himself back inside. Fayt let out a choked, strangled sound. The seme had knocked the wind out of him. It had felt really good though. He gasped for air. He did it again, and again. Fayt's back arched, almost of its own accord.

Fayt had a fleeting thought, right before he released, right before Cliff came inside him: _It can't last_.

It didn't. It was over. Both of them were panting, trying to catch their breath. How long had it lasted? Neither knew. Had they been very loud? Neither knew for sure. Slowly, Cliff got up. He stretched and shook his head, as if to clear it. He cleaned himself off and bid Fayt a good night. He climbed in to his own bed. Fayt let out a deep, satisfied sigh and rolled away from the messy puddle spreading on the sheets.

In the morning, Nel came to get them and they went to see the runologists in the Runoligical Weapon Research Facility in charge of the weapon that Fayt had heard so much about. Fayt reviewed the blueprints for it and made a few changes that should improve it. The man in charge of it—Dion--informed them about the problems it was having.

Fayt discerned that the trouble was the wiring. Instead of copper, they were using iron; they didn't have enough copper to make the wiring.

The nearest copper mine was overrun with dragons and even then, it was dangerous with the war going on. Undeterred, Fayt and Cliff decided to go after the copper ore. It was decided that Nel was going with them.

The weapon sort of bothered Fayt, and Cliff shared his opinion. The weapon, like the communicator from the guild, were both too technologically advanced for this planet's stage of development. Something weird was going on. But what?

They proceeded to Arias as quickly as possible. But, no matter how quickly they walked, they couldn't outpace time.

"It'll be impossible to travel in the dark," Nel commented, looking at the sky. "It'll be dark long before we reach Arias. We should stay here tonight."  
It was agreed upon and they headed to the inn. With Nel so close, and having to get up early the next morning, neither Cliff nor Fayt made any move on each other, but they both wanted to.

In the early morning, just after dawn, they left, once again going at a quick pace and eating as they walked. No one spoke much. The mantle of war hung heavy in the air and it sucked up any lighter conversation in to a dark void.

Soon, the Glyphian forces would attack. And then… Fayt hoped that they were prepared in time.

In Arias, they met with Clair, Tynave, and Farleen. They were just putting the last box of supplies in to a wagon. Everything was prepared and ready for them to head out. They left immediately to the Bequerel Mines. There weren't any cave-ins like the last mine they had traveled through, but this one was much, much deeper and the travel was slow because it was so dark.

There were dragons in here too, so they had to be careful. They ran in to the occasional fight as well when the dragons defended their territory. One of the dragons had a stone that gave off light—the lightstone. The light from it was unflickering, unlike the torches in the wall brackets.

The mine was confusing at times and now and then they had to backtrack because a place had caved in or it was a dead-end of some sort. In due time, though, they made it to the deepest part of the mine where the mining was better. Everyone set to work immediately. Fayt felt near-useless here. Even the women were better with the tools than he was. He contented himself to help load, but he wasn't strong enough to carry some of the larger pieces; Cliff handled those. The work made him dirty and sweaty. He glanced at Cliff. Somehow, the blonde looked fitting covered in a slick sweat, carrying heavy objects. No, not fitting, but… He looked attractive. No, he looked like a model in a magazine—the type where they're supposed to look like they're working, and they're dirty, but they're hot and sexy at the same time. In fact, more hot and sexy than working.

Fayt quickly glanced away when he realized how he had been studying Cliff. No one noticed; everyone was busily working. He went back to work too, before his body began to respond to his thoughts.

When they had everything they needed, they took the route to the refinery. There were air dragons outside. It seemed foreboding to Fayt. He was reminded of the brief battle they had had before entering the mines. There had been soldiers of the Dragon Brigade—likely there to beef up their army before the battle. One of them had escaped. A tingle of dread trickled down his spine like so much sweat. He hoped they wouldn't run in to them again.

When he asked Nel what she thought of it, she only shook her head. "We may run in to reinforcements," she said with a sigh. She glanced at the people working on refining the copper. "I hope not," she added under her breath. It was a thought that Fayt shared. They had worked hard to get that copper, and more work was going in to refining it so they could use it.

Two runologists ran to Nel and told them about the Dragon Brigade outside—the reinforcements they had hoped not to run in to. Well, wasn't that just typical.

Cliff, Nel, and Fayt rushed outside to meet them while the others loaded the copper in to the wagon. Before the inevitable battle, Fayt thought, _Is there no way but to kill whoever opposes us? Why?_

Tynave informed them that the copper was loaded and they were ready to go. They headed out immediately, not wasting any time.

Fayt and company went behind them on foot to deal with the Dragon Brigade. After it was done, Fayt looked at the bodies. There was no glory in killing people. None at all. The dragon, once a noble-looking creature, was nothing but a corpse of twisted scales, claws, and fangs. It looked ugly, and the rider no better. He wondered what sort of a life the people he had just helped kill had led. Did they have a family waiting for them to return—and they never would?

There was no time to ruminate, though; they had to make it back to Aquios with the copper. He assumed that, by now, the wagon, traveling quickly, must be near to Arias. All the same, Fayt couldn't help feeling apprehensive. He felt like something was wrong.

They didn't get far before he found out why he felt that way. The scent of blood drifted through the air, and they heard voices around the bend. Nel's eyes opened wide. She broke out in a sprint. It was all Cliff and Fayt could do to keep up with her. She skidded to a halt around the corner. Fayt nearly ran in to her.

The sight before him caught the breath in his throat. Blood stained the parched earth. Tynave and Farleen were down. The man standing over them was the same one who had let them escape from the Training Facility. Fayt's hands fisted. _That guy…_ That guy who had insulted them and let them escape like dogs with their tails between their legs—as if fortunate that they hadn't received a beating—Captain Albel Nox. Now, he had hurt Tynave and Farleen. Two soldiers of the Black Brigade flanked either side of the man, one holding the reigns to the beast of burden pulling the wagon—a lum, they called it.

Albel looked at them, the way a cat considered a group of mice before it pounced—bloodlust evident in his crimson eyes. He was picking out which one of them he would kill first. His eyes settled briefly on Cliff. That was the obvious choice—take out the tank first, the one dealing the most damage, and the others will follow. He glanced at Nel, but barely looked at Fayt. He wasn't even concerned about Fayt, which made him really mad._ He really does look feminine_, Fayt thought. _And his mannerisms are near-animalistic._ Before, he hadn't gotten a very good look at the other man's face, but he really did look rather feminine—for such an arrogant captain anyway. They talked for a short while and Albel kicked one of the girls. Fayt saw the wound in her side open, just a little bit more. She whimpered. They needed to get them to a doctor—now.

Needless to say, a fight ensued. They picked off the soldiers, and Albel put up a good fight, but now he was outnumbered and he fell too. Cliff was about to kill him, but Fayt stopped him. He reminded Cliff of Tynave and Farleen's wounds, then repeated Albel's own words.

"Yeah, well, it's like he said: 'Easy wins have never been my style,'" Fayt mocked. Albel glared at him. Death, he had been prepared to accept, but not this.

Cliff laughed. It had a wicked tone to it, like he was enjoying mocking the fallen warrior. However, that was only because he was. He turned his back to him. It wasn't an invitation to kill and he wasn't leaving himself open; it was open ridicule and nothing more. He was deliberately showing Albel how little he thought of him, how little a threat he thought he was. Words could not accurately describe the other's rage. "Hehe, yeah. I gotta agree with ya there. I've no interest in 'trouncin' weaklings' either."

Albel looked like he was going to burst from sheer fury. If it were possible, he may have exploded with it. It wasn't though and so he continued to live even when he wished it otherwise. Better dead and beaten than alive and beaten. And so, they left him there, alone, defeated. As they left the captain of the Black Brigade and he disappeared from sight, they heard him scream. Not in pain, but in a sheer, blind rage and frustration.

Fayt considered their battle. For someone wearing a _skirt_, he moved pretty quickly, and he really was a terrific swordsman. Albeit, he had seen a little more of Albel's lower half than he had any desire to. Cliff felt the same way. It had been a little windy, and while Albel may be an exhibitionist, no one else particularly had any desire to see any more of his body than they had to. And they had seen a lot more than anyone needed to see; he didn't wear underwear. Of course, most people didn't in this era. Even then, he still had a nice body. Fayt preferred Cliff's body to the other's though. They didn't know how Nel felt; she never voiced her opinion—likely, she had been so angry at the treatment of her subordinates that she hadn't noticed anything of the sort.

"I may just be scarred for life," Fayt commented as they hurried to Arias.

"Yeah?" Cliff asked him.

Fayt gave him an even look. "You didn't see it? That Albel guy doesn't wear underwear."

"Oh, that," Cliff said with a dismissive wave of his hand. Cliff had a rather large porn collection, so that didn't bother him overmuch. It was more that he found Albel to be… distasteful. "Yeah; he should really change his wardrobe." Fayt gave Cliff a very obvious once-over that communicated his feelings so well that Cliff blinked in surprise, and almost laughed. Nel hadn't seen it; she was driving the wagon and had to pay attention to where they were going.

They helped Tynave and Farleen to a doctor, who quickly tended to their wounds. They spoke with Clair briefly before they headed to Aquios. They didn't stop in Paterny this time; they had no time to waste. After all, there had been a leak, and Airyglyph knew about their weapon, and they knew about the stolen copper they were using to improve it.

By the time they arrived in Aquios, everyone was tired and footsore, as they had been traveling all night by the light of the moons and Fayt's lightstone.

Upon entering the city in the morning, a blonde woman was kneeling over a brunette girl who looked to have fainted. It turned out to be Mirage and Ameena—which was halfway convenient and halfway puzzling. What was Ameena doing here? Mirage was an easy explanation—she had followed them. But what about Ameena?

They took Ameena to the inn so she could rest somewhere safe, and Nel ran to get a doctor. Fayt paced the floor nervously until Nel came back with the doctor in tow.

It was infuriating that, if only they could salvage the medical equipment on the _Eagle_, they could probably heal Ameena. But that was impossible.

As if there could be a worse time, Nel came in and told them that the queen was summoning them; the invasion of Aquaria had begun before they had time to complete the weapon. Ameena woke when she heard a certain runologist's name mentioned—the man working on the weapon, the Thunder Arrow. Dion.

As it turns out, the friend she had been separated from, who she so desperately wanted to see that she traveled all the way from Paterny to here was named Dion. Fayt decided to bring him to her.

He all but ran to the castle to fetch Dion. He explained, as briefly as he could, that Ameena was there and the two hurried to go meet with her. Before he saw her, though, Fayt told Dion about Ameena's disease. Dion quietly went to visit his old friend. Ameena cheered up immediately. The others left them alone for their long-awaited reunion.

Nel told Fayt and Cliff that, as it stood, their situation was pretty bad. All three Brigades were attacking, headed by a man by the name of Duke Vox. It was the largest force they had ever fielded. A lot of people were going to die, in other words.

The strange thing, though, was that Albel the Wicked wasn't participating. Fayt would have thought that he would be eager to draw blood—especially if it meant getting revenge on him, Cliff, and Nel. He wondered what had happened. For some reason, Fayt's mind drifted to Albel's sword. It was a katana. What was that term? _Seboku_? No, he seemed a little too vengeful and bloodthirsty for that. Then what…? The topic was quickly brushed aside from his mind. He should at least be happy that they wouldn't face him again. Still, something about it didn't sit well with him.

He wondered where Sophia was. He really hoped that she was all right. Seeing Ameena like that, though… It really struck a bad chord.

Fayt said goodbye to Ameena when Dion looked ready to leave. They headed back to Arias. By the time they arrived there, they had all gone an entire three days without sleep. All the backtracking was maddening. Fayt hit his pillow and blacked out when they were at long last allowed to rest. He would have liked to have sex again, but he didn't think he'd be able to move, and Cliff looked pretty tired too.

Nel, Fayt, and Cliff were given a separate task to the regular soldiers and runologists; they were to assassinate Duke Vox.

In the morning, the attack began. The trio raced through the battlefield, avoiding fights when they could, and dispatching enemies quickly when they couldn't. Deeper in to the battlefield, they had to weave in and out and around the Dragon Brigade. How they made it through alive, Fayt had no idea, but Nel was good at this and she made an excellent guide. Besides, he felt almost safe with Cliff acting as a bodyguard. "Almost" because he still didn't entirely trust the man, despite having sex with him and despite all they had been through together. His easy-going nature and his over-confidence deterred quite a bit of Fayt's trust, even though it did serve to lighten dire situations.

They somehow managed to find Vox, riding his dragon. The man spotted them immediately and a fight ensued. They never finished it, however, because the duke was incinerated.

While the people of this planet didn't understand what was happening, Fayt and Cliff did. At that, more so Cliff than Fayt. It was a Vendeeni ship—the same peoples who had attacked Hyda had come to Elicoor too. Why? The implications made Fayt's head spin.

They immediately began firing. The laser took out Vox, as afore stated. Fayt, Cliff, and Nel ran for cover. A lot of people died on both sides. They ran through the now much more chaotic battlefield, running between confused soldiers, and narrowly missing getting killed. Each shot rocked the earth.

One shot landed uncomfortably close to the group. Nel stumbled but caught herself. Cliff teetered. Fayt caught himself on a dead tree. Adrenaline raced through Fayt's veins. Every instinct he had screamed at him to move. He moved. A blast from the Vendeeni ship made one of the runological weapons explode. The trio ducked, covering their heads as the shrapnel rained down around them. Luckily, nothing heavy hit them. Cliff was scratched by a piece of metal, and Nel brushed wooden splinters from her hair, but they were otherwise unhurt—and a good thing.

They made it back to the Aquarian side of the lines. All was in a state of confusion. All they knew was that something unknown to them was attacking—and annihilating them too.

The group made it back just in time to see Dion hurt by a blast from the Vendeeni ship. Fayt could only gape at the mayhem. This had to stop!

"No… Stop…" He held his head. How could this be happening? Why was this happening? _Why_?

Cliff urged him to run—to run or he would be captured. Fayt caught something in what he said.

His head snapped up. "'Captured'?" he repeated. Cliff had been holding out on what he knew. But Fayt had known that. He just didn't realize that… The horror struck him as the realization that he had missed for so long came to him, just as sudden as Vox's death. Another blast rocked the earth. He heard someone scream in agony. He flinched. It didn't matter which soldier that was—be it Glyphian or Aquarian. They were still dying because of him. Albeit, they may have died anyway… But this… Fayt screamed at Cliff. It didn't matter to him what he said, he only communicated his thoughts. They had attacked Hyda because Fayt was in Hyda. They were attacking Elicoor for the same reason. Why? _Why_?

Why did they want him badly enough to kill for it? And to kill so many innocent people too? _Why_?

He heard a dragon cry out in mortal pain—and not a roar, but an awful scream. He had once heard that the most hideous cry of pain in the universe belonged to that of the horse. He was pretty sure that that was outdated now; the dragon's cry was far worse. It not only made him want to cover his ears to block out the sound, it was so piteous that it tugged at his emotions to end its suffering. He heard it wine, long and low. The wine dwindled to a stop. It must have died.

Fayt wasn't quite sure what happened. One moment, all he could think of was saving this place, of ending the killing, and, most importantly, of getting rid of the Vendeeni. He felt something alien and strange to him rush through him and in the same moment forgot the feeling, because what he beheld was more shocking than the feeling. The Vendeeni ships were exploding.

He lost consciousness and crumpled. Cliff caught him before he tumbled to the earth. He looked up at the sky and let out a low whistle. _So, she was right,_ he thought.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

_Solution_

When Fayt awoke, they were back in Aquios. Cliff and Nel briefed him on what had transpired. With the Vendeeni attack, both sides of the war had many casualties so the invasion was halted as each tended their wounded and regrouped.

Fayt asked about Dion. His wounds were bad and they didn't have any way to treat them. The Earthling paled. What about Ameena? He had promised her to bring Dion back safely—and now this happens! All because of him…

The blue-haired youth rushed to see Dion, despite his aching body. He had to see him. His promise to Ameena haunted him. But how could he ever have expected this to happen? No, that was an excuse. It was his fault. _His fault_…

The doctor tending him had nothing but bad news. Dion was in grave danger… but Fayt knew that. He was only surprised that Dion was still alive now. He had to bring Ameena to him—quickly.

Without thinking, without giving a thought to himself, he rushed all the way out of the castle to the inn. He stopped briefly outside of the inn to catch his breath. Cliff followed Fayt and Nel stayed in Dion's room.

"Fayt, there's nothing you can do," he reminded him.

Fayt looked up at Cliff. "But Ameena… I promised her that he'd come back safely. Now… Now he's…" He swallowed back the lump rising in his throat.

"She's not much better," Cliff reminded him. "Moving her could kill her. You heard what the doctor said."

Fayt glanced back at the castle. "She wanted to see her friend." He didn't want to say it aloud, but he also knew that Ameena was dying too. He charged upstairs to her room. She looked so much like Sophia…

Mirage was watching over her, as she had been for days. Mirage gave Fayt the same warning that Cliff had, but once Fayt told Ameena about Dion, she demanded to go. Would Sophia be the same way?

Cliff and Fayt supported Ameena as she walked. They offered to carry her, but she wanted to walk, on her own two feet, like she had for so long. Fayt sighed. Why had it come to this?

Fayt knew that something terrible was going to happen, in the way she walked, in how it was all she could do to keep going. _This can't end well,_ he thought. He just couldn't picture her becoming well anymore. At one point, he had hoped… But now?

It was a struggle for her to make it up the stairs. She protested, but Cliff ended up carrying her. He set her down at the top of the stairs and they helped her to Dion's room.

The scene that transpired nearly broke Fayt's heart. There was a brief reunion, a shared prayer, and they both died, their bodies no longer capable of supporting his wounds or her disease.

They had finally reunited, they had seen each other again. What would have happened if not for the war? If not for the Vendeeni? The Vendeeni had come for Fayt. So… what would have happened if… not for him?

They had their whole lives ahead of them. Why _now_? Why did they have to die now? Would they have been happy together? Would they have gotten married? Had children? Could Ameena have gotten better if only she had stayed in bed instead of coming to see Dion? That last question stuck with Fayt. He thought about how awful she had looked, how sick. No. She never would have gotten better. His heart fell.

Why? He vented his frustrations with a single, solitary wail. He hung his head. He felt like they were suffering because of him. As if… could he have done something? The Vendeeni had come for him. So… if not for him…

He walked silently back to his guest room. He sat down heavily, seeing nothing but Ameena and Dion. The other dead people littered his thoughts—all the people who had died because of the Vendeeni attack… It was all because of him. Nameless faces drifted by his mind's eye.

Cliff tried to cheer him up as best he could, to tell him that it wasn't his fault. Fayt knew better. Nel asked him what the Vendeeni were. It's natural that she would want to know. She needed to know. A soldier came, alerting them to trouble—another Vendeeni ship. Her Majesty, the Queen Aquaria XXVII, came, also curious about the Vendeeni. When Nel told her that she needed to hide somewhere safe, she replied, in her regal manner, that no where was truly safe right now.

It was a sentiment that Fayt shared. The Vendeeni had tracked him to Hyda, to Vanguard, and now to Elicoor. Nowhere was safe, was it?

The Vendeeni, though, were coming to attack again. They rushed to the White Dew Garden. There was nothing they could do, but it was natural to want to look at your fate before it befell you.

No one knew what to do. This planet didn't have the technology to fight them. It would be a massacre. Desperate to do what he could, Fayt made a decision. "I'll give myself up, then they'll leave," he said quietly, resignedly. What did they want with him, anyway? It didn't matter. If he could save these people by doing that, he would—even if it meant suffering through whatever the Vendeeni wished him to suffer through.

Mirage and Cliff argued with him. A part of him knew that they were right. But he also knew that he was right. He looked at Cliff's eyes for a brief moment. There was another reason Cliff didn't want him to give himself up. Fayt knew why. A longing in him stirred, but when he looked up at the battleship, it quickly died as if it had never been.

Just when they thought that all hope was lost, another ship came—this one brought relief to Mirage and Cliff's eyes. Fayt realized that it must be their leader at last. The other ship—the _Diplo_—fired at the Vendeeni ship. The two ships each took some degree damage, but the _Diplo_ escaped. The other, however, crashed to the earth, broken.

A person was transported down before the _Diplo_ was out of range. Everyone turned to look at the person. It was an Earthling girl with blue hair, like Fayt's. Mirage and Cliff seemed to know her and greeted her with familiarity.

Fayt began to get an inkling of who this girl was. Still, she was a lot younger than he had been expecting. He had also thought that she would be a Klausian, like everyone else from Cliff's organization. It still came as a surprise, though, when she was officially announced as Maria Traydor, leader of Quark.

Even more surprising was that she seemed to know every detail of Fayt's life—like his favourite sport, the position he played, his parents. Her only explanation to knowing so much about him was that she had "done some research." He wondered what else she knew. It made him feel… uncomfortable, to say the least.

Cliff, Mirage, Maria, and Fayt all adjourned to the conference room to speak amongst themselves before taking an audience with the Queen of Aquaria to explain what was going on.

The things Maria had to say were all a bit much for Fayt to try to believe. First, she told him that his father, a brilliant symbological geneticist, had been captured by the Vendeeni. It made him a bit crestfallen, but, in a way, it wasn't the worst outcome. He had survived Hyda, after all. But what of his mother? He had known from before that this had happened, but having it confirmed by someone with access to better technology and thus was more up-to-date was troubling. Not only that, she told him that Sophia had been captured as well. He paled at that, but it still wasn't all she had to say.

She told him that his father had genetically modified a living human being. Not only one, but two human beings. It was an illegal art, forbidden by the Federation. How could he believe that his father could do such a thing? But, it wasn't only that she claimed he did; she also claimed to have been a test subject.

Naturally, Fayt wanted proof of that. Maria gave it to him. She threw her power out at a set of three vases. One, she shielded, and the other two she broke when she shot them with her gun. The shielded one was unharmed. She said that it was the power to manipulate the structure of matter. It was unbelievable, but… there it was. It suddenly occurred to Fayt that she had just destroyed ornamental vases in the castle—hereby breaking someone else's belongings. He had the idea, though, that no one would notice for a while; there were more important matters at hand.

Then… Then she told him the most unbelievable thing she had yet to say—and she had said a lot of pretty outstanding stuff. She wasn't the only test subject. One other came before her—Fayt Leingod himself. Fayt's head swam with the idea. How could that be? He still couldn't believe that though. He trusted his father. Why would his father use him as a guinea pig in an experiment? How horrible!

However, he decided that he didn't have to believe her to help her rescue his father and Sophia. Each had their motives—Fayt because he cared about them, and Maria because she had questions for Dr. Leingod.

As it happened, Nel was listening at the door. It wasn't surprising; she had, after all, demanded answers and she wasn't the type to sit quietly and wait.

Maria explained that the _Diplo_ was in orbit, awaiting a time to transport them up. The trouble was, again, the Vendeeni. The _Diplo_ couldn't get close enough and they didn't want to risk a confrontation. The ideal situation would be to create a diversion from the ground… but with the planet's technology, it just didn't seem possible. Mirage suggested Aquaria's runological weapons, like the unused Thunder Arrow. But how could they achieve the range they needed? Besides, it wasn't their weapon to use as they pleased. Nel offered to ask her queen if they could use it. Fayt's heart lightened. If they could pull this off…

They spoke with the queen and told her what was going on—about the Vendeeni, and the battle ships. Understandably, she had trouble believing it, but did her best to do so graciously. Her magistrate, Lasselle, wasn't convinced, but Fayt was getting the idea that he couldn't be convinced of much unless it was his idea first—but Aquaria XXVI placed her trust in the alien's truth. She gave them permission to use the Thunder Arrow.

Fayt almost grinned. Hope was in sight—and maybe another step toward rescuing his father and Sophia. But there was still one last problem—the range of the weapon. He wondered how they could possibly fix _that_ mess.

*For the sake of not rewriting a bunch of useless crap that you can get in the game, please either play your game after this point, or read this script that I again claim no rights to: [.com/console/ps2/file/536705/32690] until they come back from the whole Sacred Orb thing and discuss what to do about the Thunder Arrow's range.

Fayt trudged up the stairs. He felt exhausted. All the running around—the Shrine had been a very large place—the fighting, more running around… They had brought little supplies with them, and he was hungry too. And exhausted. The last time he had slept, it was only because he had fainted on the battlefield, and that hadn't left him feeling rested. He wondered vaguely how he had gotten out of that situation. He realized that Cliff must have carried him.

He really needed a good night's sleep. Maria and Nel marched ahead of him at the forefront, and Cliff was two feet ahead of him to the left. He concentrated on not falling back down the stairs. They were almost to the castle, after all. As a matter of fact, there was morning light shining through the windows of the cathedral. He groaned. Morning—already? They really had been up all night. He was ready to hit the sack.

Cliff looked back at him. "You all right, kid?" he asked him. "You're falling behind a little. Come on, we're almost there."

Fayt took a deep breath, then another. He rubbed his eyes with his knuckles. He nodded. "Yeah. Coming." His tired gaze fell to Cliff's legs, then trailed up to his buttocks. His eyes rested there a moment—Cliff had an excellent figure—and up to his back. He could see all of Cliff's muscles flexing when he moved. If he weren't so tired, it might have aroused him. As it was, he was a bit glad it didn't. His eyes flickered up to Maria and Nel, who were chatting casually, as if they weren't tired at all. They were both strong people. He needed to become stronger. Why was he always surrounded by people who could take such brutal conditions as of late? He reminded himself that Maria had probably gotten more rest than the others had.

All the same, he could feel his muscles aching and toning. He was getting a little less soft and a little stronger—bit by bit.

The light up ahead lent speed to his feet and he hurried after the girls. Nel led the way up to the throne room to report. Everyone looked tired, he realized, and hungry. Nevertheless, with Nel, duty came far before comfort, and they followed her lead. The idea of a good night's sleep excited Fayt more than Cliff's defined body did right now. His stomach growled, reminding him of his lack of food. Or maybe a good meal. He dismissed the idea. He would sleep better without the meal.

They told the queen of their success, and then moved on to a more difficult topic of discussion—what to do about the Thunder Arrow. Fayt had been thinking about it for some time, and no matter how he did the math and the physics work, he couldn't find a way to make it achieve the range they required. The queen had a suggestion that no one else had even ever considered—cooperation with Airyglyph. The Glyphians had a means to take the weapon in to the sky. It would eliminate the problem with the range.

It was decided that Nel and Cliff would journey to Airyglyph to deliver a personal letter from Aquaria XXVII to the current king of Airyglyph. Fayt bit his lip in worry. Cliff and Nel were strong, but what if something bad happened to them on the way? He didn't like that idea. The queen prepared the letter immediately and the two left as soon as she had finished it. The ink barely had time to dry. He chided himself—of course they would be fine.

Elena, the runological researcher in charge of the Thunder Arrow, hurried to complete the weapon. Mirage went to help her. That left Fayt and Maria with little to do. Maria requested that they talk outside. She wanted to tell him her story. He went with her outside. They watched the peaceful mountain scene and Maria told him of how she became Quark's leader. The entire tale—from losing the people she thought were her parents to getting picked up by none other than Cliff and Mirage in her escape pod, up to nearly getting killed by a Federation ship before Maria's powers manifested and she destroyed the ship—seemed pretty outrageous. But that seemed to be the story of Maria's life—from one insane stunt to another. Besides, with all that was going on, he wasn't one to judge.

He yawned. "I'm going to get some sleep, Maria. Why don't you too?" he said.

She nodded. "I guess I'm tired as well." They walked together to the guest rooms. Maria took the empty bed in Mirage's room and Fayt went to sleep. It was morning, but he was so tired that he slept until dinner time. He went out in the city with Maria to get something to eat. It made him anxious waiting for Nel and Cliff to get back. Maria was unfettered by it.

Fayt found himself looking at the sky frequently. What would they do if another ship attacked? Instead of worrying about it, though, he tried to stay positive. Easier said than done. He went to check on Mirage and Elena's progress. They were doing well, it seemed, and progress was smooth. Only one thing really bothered him. The air dragons were big, but were they big enough for this? The machine wasn't enormous, but it wasn't small either. Maybe they had a larger air dragon that could do this.

Around noon the next day, Cliff and Nel returned. They looked more than a little exhausted, but they were hopeful and in high spirits. The king had decided upon a neutral place for the meeting to take place in. Unfortunately, it was a less than hospitable place as well—the Ruins of Mosel, in the Mosel Dunes. Nel told Fayt that it was a hot, dry desert. Fayt sighed. While the people from Airyglyph could fly, they had to walk there. Nice.

They would leave in the morning, after Cliff and Nel got some rest. The two left immediately for their rooms. Fayt took a walk with Maria. Neither spoke much, but they considered the Vendeeni, and hoped that they would hold off. They needed more time.

By nightfall, Fayt went to bed. Cliff was dead asleep and seemed a little comatose at that. Fayt sighed. He had wanted… Well, it was better to let him sleep. Still…

He walked over to him and pressed his lips against Cliff's. Cliff's eyes slid open and a lazy smile spread across his face. "Oh, I didn't mean to wake you," Fayt stammered. "I…"

"Don't worry 'bout it," Cliff said with a yawn. He stretched and sat up. "I've been asleep for quite a while."

Fayt breathed out a wispy sigh. "You ready for tomorrow then?"

"Nah… Not yet." Fayt looked back at Cliff. He started to say something, but Cliff pulled him down on top of him. In moments, Fayt was naked, his discarded clothes littering the floor like autumn leaves in a forest. He realized that Cliff was already naked under the blankets. Cliff yanked the blankets off of him, keeping Fayt pressed close to him. He scooted to the edge of the bed, a lusty look in his eyes that made Fayt moan with anticipated excitement. Fayt nibbled Cliff's ear, bit his neck lightly, and licked his lower lip. Cliff's roving hands explored the dips and curves of Fayt's smaller body. He lifted the boy, hovering him over himself.

The Earthling suddenly shook his head. "It'll hurt if we do it like that." He smiled, his sexual appetite plain in the look. "Let me help." Cliff felt a shiver of excitement roll down his spine like rain. Fayt… helping—he liked that idea. The boy climbed off of the Klausian and got down on his hands on knees in front of him. He took him in to his mouth, sliding his wet tongue along the long, thick appendage. He lathered it with his saliva until it was dripping. He cupped Cliff's testicles, massaging them in one hand. The other hand, he used in conjunction with his mouth what he could not fit inside. His eyes watered when he felt Cliff's cock scrape the back of his throat. He gagged a little. Cliff moaned, his fingers wrapping in Fayt's hair. The kid was a fast learner. To think, he had been a virgin not long ago. And now… Now he was becoming a fantastic and eager lover.

Fayt slowly pulled away, giving a last sucking kiss to the head. He licked off the pre-cum with just as much delight as a child with an icecream cone. He straddled his seme and lowered himself onto the lathered appendage. Entrance was easier that way. Cliff groaned, pushing against Fayt. Fayt squirmed, then pushed all the way down, sheathing Cliff inside him. Fayt shuddered. Cliff grabbed the boy's hips, supporting him. He pushed against him. Fayt slid on him, against him, feeling Cliff sliding inside him. He arched his back, moving his hips, grinding against Cliff. Hot, sticky kisses kept them locked together. Their bodies moved, aware of only one another and at times, only the other. Fayt lost himself. His memories faded away. His worries faded away. Even tomorrow, today—that was all gone. The world—the entire universe… It was all gone.

There was nothing but passion, nothing but pleasure. Nothing but the feel of Cliff's sweat-slicked body against his own and in his own. Cliff's tongue slid against his teeth. He opened his mouth, allowing access. Cliff explored that damp cavern thoroughly. Fayt groaned. Cliff grabbed on to Fayt and pulled them both back, the Klausian lying on his back, looking up at Fayt. Fayt writhed on top of him, sliding on his sweat, pre-cum dripping from his erection.

Some amount of time passed—first slowly, then quickly, then nothing at all—time froze for one moment when Cliff penetrated deep inside him, brushing a spot that made the universe a dull, boring place in comparison.

Cliff could stand it no longer. His fingers locked around Fayt's waist. He rolled with him. Fayt gasped in pleasant surprise. His legs wrapped around Cliff's hips, his fingers locking on his slick shoulders.

Wave after wave of pleasure engulfed them, and then they were drowning in it. Cliff felt a brief moment of sorrowful bliss. Bliss—because it felt wonderful, but sorrowful because he had to hold back or possibly hurt Fayt terribly. Cliff was, after all, Klausian—and they were known for being lovers of high stamina, not to mention forceful and a little rough. There had been incidents—long ago—when a Klausian had killed their Earthling lover by accident. It was no less fulfilling for holding back though.

It ended in white-hot bliss, sweat-soaked, in messy sheets, tangled in the blankets and in each other's dirty limbs. They panted, trying to remember how to breathe again. Their bodies slowed down. Their breathing steadied, then they looked at each other wordlessly.

"I think the sheets are ruined," Fayt commented. Cliff laughed.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

_Fever_

In the morning, they departed for Mosel. Her Majesty road in a small carriage and the others walked in a protective ring around it—and a good thing too. They had just passed through Paterny when a small band of people from the Dragon Brigade made an assassination attempt. Naturally, it was thwarted.

They hurried on to Mosel. They stopped briefly in Surferio, the town right outside Mosel, so that the queen could stretch her legs and the others could rest and get something to eat. As they didn't have the time for pleasantries, it was only a short break and they were soon on the move again. They had to pass through a petite cave before getting to Mosel. The carriage could not travel in the cave, so they paid one of the locals to look after it and continued on foot.

Fayt considered the goings-on of today. Considering the attack earlier, this could be a trap. But if that was the case, wouldn't they want to keep them as suspicion-free as possible? Sending such a small amount of assassins seemed foolhardy. Albeit, battling the air dragons had been difficult in such a wide, open space that provided room enough to move freely and attack from above. Regardless of their advantages, though, it still just seemed reckless. Not only that, but if they were really planning to kill the queen, then wouldn't they attack in Mosel? The Mosel Ruins were in the desert ahead. No matter how Fayt looked at it, a clearly wiser decision would have been to attack there—in a closed-in space that none of them had been to, after they were tired and weary from their journey in the harsh terrain. Something wasn't quite right about that attack.

Fayt wondered what this desert would be like. He had been to deserts before, and seen pictures of them. Some of them were dusty, but were more rock than sand. Others were sandy. Then some deserts were cold. He knew that Mosel was a hot, dry place. But was it sand or rock—and how hot exactly? More than that, did they have enough water? Each of them had several quarts of water, but would it be enough?

While the heat was blistering and made them sweat in the dry heat, there were scattered oasis around the desert, where they could refill their water and refresh themselves a bit at a time. It wasn't as inhospitable as one would assume, except perhaps for the "zombie dragons" inhabiting certain areas of the desert. They avoided those.

They finally made it in to the ruins. Fayt downed an entire quart of water. The small group relaxed out of the desert heat, catching their breath. Aquaria XXVII, despite her obvious thirst and weariness, still retained all the dignity she possessed. Fayt yanked off his boots and poured out the sand that had gathered inside them. Cliff was shaking out his gloves, and kicking off his own boots to do the same. Nel brushed sand off of her clothes. Maria wiped sweat from her brow.

After they played some runic chess (refer to the game for that one) and Fayt discovered a cloak that kept him and his party from becoming dehydrated, they proceeded to the council chamber.

Basically, the king of Airyglyph agreed to cooperate. The trouble was that they had no air dragons large enough to accommodate the weapon. They did, however, have a proposal: They could go ask a dragon called the Marquis, or Crossell, to assist them—on a condition that a representative of their country went with them. Fayt had to admit, it sounded a little daunting. A gigantic dragon, untamed, that the Glyphians seemed intimidated by. Still, what choice did they have?

The representative chosen would be Albel. Fayt frowned. Why wasn't he here? It seemed to Fayt that Albel should be here, as a captain of their military. It was also a little strange that Albel hadn't been leading the Black Brigade during the battle either. He frowned. What had happened to him? Moreover, why did he feel a bit concerned—as well as responsible? He brushed the feeling aside. It annoyed him slightly that they had to go fetch Albel in Airyglyph. Wouldn't it be easier to simply bring him along?

Moreover, this truce seemed silly. They had agreed to help, but lacked the means to do so. To Fayt, the truce was near-pointless. True, it ended the fighting, but the Glyphians weren't really helping so much as giving them the idea to ask the Marquis.

After they had left Mosel again, and escorted the Queen to Peterny where Clair took over the task of royal escort, they headed for the Glyphian capital.

"So who's Albel?" Maria wondered, feeling a little left out when they commented to each other about the man.

Nel scowled. "He's the best swordsman in Airyglyph. The last time we met, we had bested him in battle and left him living. He won't be glad to see us."

Maria nodded, getting the gist of it. Fayt glanced back at her. "He's also kind of rude and haughty to tell you the truth," he added. "So traveling with him won't be pleasant."

She fingered her gun thoughtfully. Cliff laughed at that. "Not to mention that he's arrogant and bloodthirsty," he chimed in.

Fayt chuckled. "He has nice legs though," he said.

Cliff roared with laughter. They continued their banter all the way to Arias. Nel was trying not to laugh and Maria, still feeling a bit left out of their private joke, frowned most of the time. All would become clear to her soon though—particularly all the jibes about how feminine he looked and his "cross-dressing" tendencies.

_It was true though—for a guy, Albel has great legs,_ Cliff thought. Too bad he was such a jackass. _Why do we have to go pick him up anyway?_

As they walked down the street toward the castle, shivering in the snow (at this moment they weren't sure if they preferred Mosel or Airyglyph), Cliff commented in an irritated tone, "I feel like I'm picking a child up from daycare."

Fayt snorted a laugh, teeth chattering. "Hehe." He remembered that when he walked up to the guard. "I'm here to pick up Albel," he told them. They let them through. Cliff tried desperately not to laugh. Nel rolled her eyes. Maria wasn't listening, as she was studying the architecture of the place.

"It's like a castle from a fairytale," she muttered, half to herself. Fayt agreed with her. He had never thought he would see a place like this—except maybe something made of plastic as part of a theme park. Yet… here he was.

Fayt felt like there was something very wrong when they were led down to the dungeon to get Albel. Why was he down there? Executing people? Fayt's stomach churned at that thought. But it didn't seem like something he would do—defeat in battle, maybe, but not just kill people. He recalled all too vividly the captain's words—"trouncing weaklings," indeed!

He looked at his companions. They seemed a bit baffled by this as well. Count Woltar, acting as their guide, took them down to a room Fayt remembered all too well. He and Cliff glanced at each other. It was the room they had been tortured in oh-so long ago. Why was he in here? Fayt really didn't want to go back inside that room. He didn't want to remember being chained up and helpless as a man with a bloodlust had hurt him. He automatically shrunk closer to Cliff. The girls were ahead of him, and thus didn't see it. Cliff gave his arm a reassuring squeeze before Fayt stepped nervously away like an anxious fawn stepping away from its mother.

The door grated open. Fayt shivered in the cold. It really was too cold down here. It was like executing their prisoners slowly—simply letting the elements do the job for them. Fayt glanced around the room, his gaze coming to rest on Albel. He was chained up—just like he had been, his arms suspended above his head. His head was down, staring at the floor listlessly, not even looking up when the door opened—or too cold and tired to care. The tips of his fingers were turning blue. If he was down here too much longer, he would get frostbitten, Fayt was sure. But why…?

The situation was quickly explained by Count Woltar. Albel was being charged with treason—for letting them escape at Kirlsa and again for being beaten by them at the mines. The guilty feeling in the pit of Fayt's stomach reemerged. Cliff shifted self-consciously. They had never thought that something like that would happen. Cliff suddenly felt bad about _not_ killing him. Nel couldn't care less and decided that he deserved it. Maria didn't care either way as this didn't affect her in any way, for she possesses little to no sympathy for other people. The count let the former captain down. The two argued briefly, before Albel consented and followed them out, flexing his fingers, trying to work some feeling back in to them. Fayt glanced back at him. Considering how cold it was, Albel's face looked a bit flushed. He saw a fading bruise along his jaw line. He wondered who had put it there. Likely the one who had charged him with treason—Duke Vox.

A part of Fayt thought that it served him right, but another part felt something like sorrow for the Elicoorian. He shared a look with Cliff. Cliff even felt a bit sorry for him—and that was saying something because he didn't care too much for the man. Nel cast a glance back at Albel, but he glared at her and she kept moving. Fayt sighed. _Geez, everyone is concerned about him, and he just glares at us,_ he thought. He realized that it had more to do with pride than anything else. Fine. Fayt glanced at Maria, who had only given him a passing glance at best. Well, maybe not _everyone_ was concerned.

When they got outside, they discussed what they should do for the night. They could probably make it to Kirlsa by nightfall if they traveled quickly, and that way, they would be near the Bequerel Mountains, where the dragon was, so in the morning, they could start right away. Decision reached, they started out. No one noticed, but Albel had fallen a bit behind, and there was a very good reason for that.

He swayed slightly. _No, I won't faint... I can't… Not here… Not now. Just a little while longer…_ But the body doesn't listen to the mind's pleas, and his body was past its limit. Its last protest of its overuse was to faint to force him to stop.

Albel's eyes rolled to the back of his head. He swayed again, fighting desperately and almost valiantly to stay conscious. "Almost," though, doesn't quite cut it. To his eternal shame, he fell. He was unconscious before he began the fall, and so he didn't catch himself. He hit the stone pavement hard on his right side, because he had been leaning more to the right when the fall had began. It would have been better if he had fallen on his left, because his gauntlet would have absorbed most of the impact. As it was, it was a bad fall. It was sheer luck that kept him from hitting his head.

The others turned to the noise. Nel, who was closest, was quick to react. She rushed over to him. The others followed quickly. "Cliff," she said, as he was nearest to her. "Can you roll him over so I can look at him?" Cliff bent and pulled the former captain over. "Don't hold him like that; it'll hurt his neck." The Klausian glanced down at him.

"So?" he said before he could think better of it. As if he cared if he hurt the guy—he was an asshole. All the same, he readjusted the unconscious man so that his head wasn't tilted awkwardly. He imagined that Albel would be pissed if he woke up right now, but he didn't move. Hell, he barely breathed. When he did breathe, it was labored, and seemed to require some Herculean effort.

Nel scowled at Cliff and peered over at Albel. He was still unconscious. She put a hand to his forehead, looking alarmed. Despite the cold, he was burning with a temperature and his face looked flushed, not to mention that he was covered in a thin sweat. She pulled one of his eyelids open. His eyes were still rolled to the back of his head. He might as well be dead for all that he moved. She sighed and let his eyelid slide back in place. "He has a bad fever, and considering how pale he is, probably half-starved too. Airyglyph isn't known for treating their prisoners well—even their former captains, apparently."

It didn't come as a surprise to any of them. Albel wasn't wearing much, and it was freezing down there. Fayt had been sneezing and coughing after only a few hours, and the Glyphian had been down there for a good long time. He felt a strange kind of sorrow for him. Albel was a proud man, and had done his best to not look as though he had a fever. His fatigue had caught up with him though, in the end. A good thing he hadn't fainted on any stairs. A fever was still better than a concussion.

"Let's stop here for tonight, then," Maria said. "If he has a fever, he'll only be a burden."

Nel looked up. "There's an inn not far away. Cliff, can you carry him?"

Cliff nodded, looking at how thin Albel was. He could carry him with one arm. He found himself staring at his stomach. He had lovely abs… He stopped his train of thought right where it was and scooped him up. If Albel knew… Well, he might just die on the spot—of sheer rage and embarrassment. Not before he skewered Cliff first though.

Unfortunately for the former captain of the Black Brigade, he chose the most inconvenient time possible to wake up. His eyelids fluttered open. He glanced around him. His face turned as scarlet as his eyes. Before he had a chance to do anything (most likely punch Cliff in the eye, as he was raising one of his arms as if to do so), he was overcome with nausea. He clamped his right hand over his mouth. Cliff recognized all the signs of vomiting and rushed off with him to an alley. He set him down. Albel was unsteady on his feet at first, then straightened. He quickly bent in half and heaved. Cliff pulled his hair out of the way. Albel didn't do anything—nothing worth mentioning anyway and no one needs to know about the stench or texture of vomit, particularly when it's nothing but bile.

Albel spit and turned away. Cliff's hands fell away from his rat tails and his bangs. His hair fell against his back. Albel had always possessed a malevolent but somewhat noble air. He still held that quiet dignity, despite the fever. He looked up at Cliff. He was clearly sick, fevered, and nauseated. What Cliff saw was the visage of a proud man silently beseeching his help, though Albel would sooner die of fever than say it out loud. If they were allowed access to his ship, he could fix the entire problem and they could move on quickly.

Fayt peered around the corner. "Are you okay, Albel?" he asked. Fayt was genuinely concerned. Cliff supposed, that was what he liked about Fayt. He authentically cared about others. Albel didn't say anything, but he looked at him. Not in the way he normally did—the way a crow inspected maggots before it devoured them, but in a curious way, like that same crow inspecting something shiny. "Let's get you to the inn. Do you want some water?"

The Glyphian opened his mouth to say something, but coughed instead. He cleared his throat and shook his head. "No."

"Can you walk?" Fayt asked. "Do you need help?"

For a moment, the fire was back in his eyes, but it faded with another wave of nausea. He didn't vomit this time, but he leaned heavily against the wall, eyes closed, hand to his head as if cradling a headache. Cliff crossed his arms. "You should have told us you were sick," he reprimanded.

Albel suddenly straightened, all weaknesses either forgotten or ignored. "I am not so weak as to require assistance," he snapped at both of them. The two ignored his outburst as he had ignored his illness. He stalked off to the inn, doing his best to be his cocky, arrogant self and fevered at the same time. The girls watched him and the men followed him at a close distance, in case he should fall again. He didn't. Determination and a strong will kept him upright all the way to the inn. The same could not be said once inside the inn.

He stumbled walking up the stairs. Fayt tried to help him, but he got kicked in the shin for his efforts so gave up trying. It was awkward seeing Albel try to kick him. Not that he didn't hit the target; he just seemed more like he would have preferred to use his hands or his sword. Of course, his hands were occupied. One was holding his head, massaging his temples and the other was firmly grasped to the hand rail.

The girls retired to their own room and the other three found their room. Albel collapsed in to the first bed he came across and didn't move. He still had his sword strapped to his leg, still had his boots on, and everything else.

"You should take some of that off," Fayt advised softly. "Let me help you."

Albel rolled his head to look at him flatly. "No," he hissed.

Cliff frowned. "Well, I'm gonna go get a bucket."

"For what?" Fayt wondered quizzically.

"In case he throws up again," he said flatly. He headed back downstairs. Fayt sat on the bed opposite to Albel. The Glyphian stared at the ceiling briefly before he closed his eyes to shut out the spinning sensation. _I hate being sick,_ he thought. _And now they're pandering to me. How repulsive._

Concern etched its was unbidden across Fayt's features. If Albel had stayed down there much longer, he would have died. Even then, fevers were pretty deadly in this era. What if he died anyway? It just didn't sit well with Fayt.

Cliff came back inside the room with a bucket. Nel came in after him carrying a pitcher and some cloths. "We have to break his fever," she explained. "Fayt, would you mind pulling off his boots—and take his sword away," she added as an afterthought. The fewer weapons he had while they were doing this, the less at risk they were.

"I can do it!" Albel snapped. Without lifting his head, he unstrapped his sword and dropped it on the floor with a clatter. He kicked off his boots. They hit the floor with a dull thunk.

"The armor too," Nel said. She had her back to him as she prepared a poultice. More bits of his outfit hit the floor. All except the metal arm. Fayt wondered if his real arm was inside it, or if it was really a false arm. If it was, it was another puzzle about this planet. It just had a few things that were too advanced—like the Thunder Arrow and Albel's left arm—if that was true anyway. He'd need a better look at it. Cliff took the poultice from Nel and applied it to his forehead as directed. Fayt mopped Albel's brow. Albel groaned his displeasure. No one gave him any choice in the matter though, and he was too sick to do anything about it but glare. Maria came back with a basket of herbs. Nel prepared a tea that didn't smell palatable. After she was done, the girls went to go buy tonight's meal. Nel gave Cliff and Fayt instructions to change the poultice while they were gone, to force another cup of tea down Albel's throat, and to wipe off his sweat as needed.

Albel had an expression on his face that, if he were anyone else, might be humorous. He looked like he was dying of horror and embarrassment while also thinking homicidal thoughts about everyone in the room. "Don't look at me like that," Fayt said, wiping off more sweat from his face. "I'm trying to help you. And don't say you don't need it; you probably would have died if you didn't get help." _He wouldn't have lasted the night alone in the dungeon_, Fayt realized.

Cliff brought over the tea. "Fayt, help Albel sit up." Albel shot upright, then immediately fell back down again, groaning and holding his head. Cliff rolled his eyes. Fayt pushed the older man upright, and used pillows to keep him there. Albel was not happy, and that was an understatement.

When the girls came back, they ate quickly. They had a thin soup for Albel—giving him real food now would only make him sicker. Maria and Nel retired to bed afterwards, abandoning the others to look after Albel. Not that it mattered overmuch—Albel had rolled over and was dead asleep. Cliff made some comment about—the way he was asleep—that not even them having sex would wake him. Fayt had scowled at him, but didn't reply. He wasn't about to do that with someone else in the room. Cliff had meant it half-jokingly, but it still meant he was half-serious too.

Fayt snuggled in to the blankets. He cast a reproachful glance at Albel. His fever had gone down; he would probably be all right. _Probably_. Before he could worry too much about it, though, he was asleep.

Cliff tossed and turned for some time, then he got up and checked the Elicoorian's temperature. It was stable, but wasn't dropping any more either. He was sweating again, and he had frequent chills too.

He thought of the _Eagle_. Its medical facilities could heal him—and it was close as well.

Albel's eyes slowly opened. He rolled and looked at Cliff. He looked pale. "How are ya feelin'?" Cliff asked him.

He pursed his lips together for a moment, considering his answer. In the end, he didn't deign respond. Instead, he rolled back over.

"I'll take that as 'not so hot' then," he commented. Albel made a noise that couldn't be described as being negative or affirmative. "Right. So, would you rather be sick—probably for days? Or you could come with me and I can use my technology to heal you."

There was a moment of hesitation, then he rolled back over yet again. Albel glanced at Fayt. The boy was fast asleep. "Let's go," he said.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

_Cure Condition_

Outside, it was snowing, and it was dark besides. Cliff remembered very well where he had crashed, and could have made it there quickly, but Albel flat-out refused to let Cliff carry him (which would have been much easier and faster) and was determined to walk there. He walked only slowly, and seemed terribly unbalanced. Cliff walked beside him, but only grabbed him when Albel began to fall. He knew the other man was extremely dizzy and wasn't seeing things straight. He never said anything when he helped him stay upright—which meant that even he knew that he couldn't do it by himself. The weather was doing nothing for him.

The snow was disorienting, and the ground looked like it was tilted at an awkward angle because of the snow blowing in. The whole thing made his head spin, and he was considering just walking blindly. Cliff was loud enough; he might be able to follow the sounds of him walking through the snow. Everything seemed so loud…

About the fourth time Albel almost fell, though, Cliff sighed deeply and picked him up anyway. Albel complained in a violent manner. "Put me down _now,_ you worthless maggot!" he hissed, attempting to gut the Klausian with his claws. Cliff ignored him and pulled him a little closer, pinning his left arm against his chest to keep him from trying to gut him with it. Not to say he didn't still try, but he couldn't get any leverage to move his arm—hence the joy of pinning the elbow. The gauntlet was _not_ enjoyable rubbing against Cliff's stomach, but he decided that he could deal with it for a while. The experience would be more pleasant if Albel didn't think he needed to thrash about. Albel hauled back his other fist. The struggling was making him sick to his stomach, but to hell that he was going to let Cliff carry him.

Cliff caught the blow before it landed with his free hand. "This is faster. Before we get there, I'll put you down so the guards don't see you." Albel continued resisting heedlessly against Cliff's superior strength, trying to continue to fight him to put him down. He gritted his teeth and then tried to pull his arm away. Cliff, however, didn't trust him not to try to claw his eyes out, so he kept a good grip on the slender wrist. "Just agree and we'll get there sooner." Albel stared at him for what must have been a solid and rather uncomfortable minute.

It was just for a few minutes. Besides… everything really was spinning awkwardly, and it was making him sick to his stomach—not to mention dizzy. Keep up the walking, and he'd vomit again. That was a less than appealing thought; his throat was so sore. But… it would still mean that someone else was carrying him. "One word about this, worm, and I'll gut you."

Cliff resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Whatever. Tell me if ya have t' toss your cookies again."

"What?"

"Er… Puke."

"…"

All the spinning was making him sick again, so he closed his eyes. The wind was bitterly cold—colder than it normally felt. That was because he was ill though. It wasn't really any colder than it usually was at this time of year. His stomach suddenly lurched as Cliff started walking. He gagged. Cliff froze. Albel swallowed hard and shook his head. Cliff began the short trek through the snow again. The swordsman sighed resignedly. Cliff tried his best not to jostle him as he carried him. The younger man's head lowered against the cold. The Klausian felt warm against him. He leaned against his shoulder. The blood pounded in his ears. Adversely, Cliff's heartbeat was soft and steady. He focused on that sound to block out the other noises—the other noises gave him head pains. His heartbeat, however, was calming. Cliff felt Albel relax—not a good sign. Cliff was a bit surprised that he was being so compliant though, which meant that he must be awfully sick. Well, it wouldn't be long now.

Around the corner from the fallen craft, he set Albel down gently in the snow. He teetered for one brief moment, then righted himself. Crimson eyes opened. He straightened a little and strutted forward as if he weren't sick. Albel the Wicked yelled at the guards to let him pass. Apparently, they had known about his sentence, so were hesitant… for a moment, anyway. Albel snarled something at them and they paled visibly and stepped aside. His reputation acted like a protective cloak in this instance. Albel stared at the ship, as if he expected it to open for him. Cliff walked in front of him and opened it. The two walked inside.

The second the door closed, Albel slithered to the floor. It had taken all he had to pretend he wasn't sick, to show no sign of weakness long enough to intimidate the guards in to letting them pass, primarily letting his reputation do the work for him. Cliff glanced down at him and stepped around him. Albel didn't seem to notice, let alone care. His breathing came in ragged gasps, his head spun, his skull felt like it might split in two, and what he really wanted to do was curl up in a ball and die—or vomit, which ever came first. Oh, why hadn't they just killed him at Bequerel?

"Just a while longer," Cliff promised him. He fiddled with the machinery a bit. It was still undamaged—it would be though; the medical facilities were placed in such a manner as that they were useful even after a crash—which is when they would be most useful. "Got it. Hey, can you get up over there?"

Albel tried. He really did, but the strain of walking and the weather had taken its toll and when he stood, he teetered awkwardly and then fell. Cliff caught him before he hit the floor again. He hauled him upright. Albel stared straight ahead at the older man's chest as if he didn't see it. The way he was feeling, Cliff imagined that he might not.

It was true; everything just looked like a big blur to Albel. He distinguished Cliff only as being the large, dark blur that moved. Truthfully, watching him move made his stomach churn uncomfortably. He couldn't remember ever being this sick before.

Cliff helped him to the medical equipment. About five minutes later, the illness was gone. Albel was standing straighter and looked much healthier. "How ya feelin'?" he asked him.

Albel sat down in one of the chairs. "Better." He leaned his head against the back of the chair. His eyes fluttered for a moment. He forced them open.

"You look tired. When's the last time ya slept?"

He blinked slowly and shook his head without saying anything. He didn't know. He couldn't tell the time in the dungeon. A long time though. He didn't answer. Cliff looked around. While he was here, was there anything worth taking? No, not really. His eyes roved over to Albel. He really did have nice legs—and well-shaped abs. He blinked and looked away, but not before Albel's eyes caught his.

He found himself growing attracted to Albel—and very quickly at that. Ah, what the hell? He felt Albel's eyes boring in to the back of his skull.

"Are you finished yet?" he asked. His voice held a hint of a sneer—like it usually did. He wondered if he meant it to be that way or it came out that way naturally.

Cliff powered down the medical device. "Yeah—guess so." He stretched. "Let's get goin'. We've got a long day tomorrow."

"Mm," Albel grunted. Cliff looked back at him. Albel hadn't moved. Was there still something wrong? Had the machine somehow missed some symptom? Skipped over some part of the illness? He walked over to him and leaned down. Albel continued staring straight ahead. His eyes were clear, he wasn't sickly-looking, and he didn't have a temperature of any kind. Then…?

"Hey, what's wrong?"

He shook his head a little and pressed his lips together. He seemed to be having some epic internal struggle. Finally, he let out a raspy noise of defeat. "Thank you," he said. His voice sounded really mean and hateful and came out as a wicked snarl—it was so bad that Cliff almost laughed aloud, but he didn't when he saw how serious Albel was being.

"You're welcome," Cliff said. "Now let's get outta here."

He nodded and stood up. There was no wobbling and no dizziness. "I'll kill you if you ever say anything about all this." The threat actually had some implication behind it this time.

The Klausian sighed noisily and made a dismissive gesture that annoyed the other. "Yeah, you said that already."

"I'm reminding you. Don't even tell your lover."

Cliff frowned deeply. "What are you talking about?"

"Fayt. Don't even tell him."

He was taken back. He blinked in surprise. "But… What… How…?"  
Albel scoffed. "The worm cowers behind you, and stays close to you—he also stares at you. You do the same," he added as an afterthought. "You're obviously lovers." His voice came out in a sneer again—this time a little meaner and more hateful than usual—which was saying something.

Cliff stared at him, then straightened. "And that's something you should keep to yourself," he said, his voice icy. Albel nodded; he had no problems with that. He considered Albel's tone of voice. Had that been… jealousy? "Albel…"

His hand came out of seemingly nowhere. The Elicoorian's knuckles hit his face so hard that they cracked. Albel spun on his heel, away from him. "Stop staring at me," he hissed testily. _If you're not going to do anything, don't stare at me,_ he thought.

Cliff's face stung a little. Fortunately, he was Klausian—and though Albel threw a pretty good punch for a man his size—it didn't have too much of an affect. "You're jealous," Cliff realized fully. The second punch landed on his stomach. But he noticed something; Albel was only using his right hand. He was intentionally not causing a whole lot of harm. He could have if he only swung with his left… but he didn't.

"Don't accuse me of being jealous of your relationship with that maggot!" he growled. He glared at Cliff, but what he was aware of was their close proximity… and Cliff had a gorgeous body. The glare, needless to say, was rendered ineffective.

Cliff raised an eyebrow. "Then stop _being_ jealous." This time, he caught the punch. The metal arm came up. He grabbed the gauntlet and held his arm over his head. Albel struggled for a moment. Cliff didn't even have to try; the Black Brigade's former captain may be skilled with a sword, but he didn't stand a chance against a Klausian in hand-to-hand combat—let alone Cliff. He lifted Albel off of his feet. Ruby eyes widened. Cliff slammed his back against the wall, pinning his wrists above him. Albel glared at him. He may have been about to say something—most likely a threat of some sort. Cliff covered his mouth with his.

Albel wasn't as submissive as Fayt had been. Not nearly. His lips were unyielding, even under pressure and prodding from Cliff's tongue and experienced lips. He struggled against his hold on him, and even tried to kick him. He started thrashing, railing against his captor. Annoyed, Cliff picked him up again and threw him. Albel hit the floor, landing on his ass. Cliff jumped on top of him before he could get up, pinning his wrists again, wrestling him to the floor. "Just admit it," he said. "You're jealous."

He stared at him through heated hate-filled eyes. Then the hate melted to be replaced with... a different kind of heat. "I want you to fuck me," he said—blunt, straight, and to the point.

Cliff almost laughed, because he thought it had been a joke. Albel had hardly been exactly willing when he had kissed him. But he didn't seem the type to joke either, so it gave him pause. "What?"

"Are you deaf as well as stupid?" he demanded. "I just offered myself to you."

Cliff let go of his wrists. Albel didn't move. "Then why did you fight?"He shrugged one shoulder dismissively. Ah, so it was sort of a dominance thing. "Well, why do you want me then? I thought you hated me?"

He frowned, as if he were pointing out that the sky was, in fact, blue to someone who didn't understand that it was. "You defeated me. You're stronger than I am, so I respect you for your strength."

That made very little sense to Cliff's mind. He would have thought that he hated them for that defeat. "Don't you hate me?"

"I hate you for leaving me living," he admitted. "But not for my defeat." _I hate myself for that,_ he thought. It still didn't make too much sense to Cliff. Hell, it didn't really need to. One of Albel's legs rubbed against Cliff's, bringing him back to the subject matter. Cliff thought briefly of Fayt. Well, it's not like they were _married_. Besides… Albel really was rather attractive. He wondered what kind of a lover he was like.

Cliff sat up, and got off of Albel. "Then take off your clothes." He sat up and peeled off his shirt. He dropped it several feet away from him. He untied the red sash and dropped it beside his shirt. Without the sash, the skirt fell a little lower—just low enough to taunt Cliff with dark promises. Albel kicked off his boots. He leaned forward, waiting, one leg slipping out from under the confines of the fabric suggestively. Cliff peeled off his clothes—layer by layer. Albel couldn't have made it more blatant that he was watching. _Popcorn and a soda,_ Cliff thought._ That's the only things that could make it more obvious. _He watched him with all of the intensity of a college student finishing their final test.

Albel made a deep guttural growl, when Cliff moved toward him. The sound was of approval. He finally pushed the skirt aside. Cliff smiled his own approval. He stroked the inside of the younger man's thigh, studying his pubic hair briefly. It was interesting—Cliff had assumed that Albel must dye his hair. Apparently, two-toned hair wasn't so odd here. _The carpet matches the drapes, _Cliff thought.

Cliff's hand glided upwards, over his chest, giving no more than a teasing stroke to his groin. The muscles were taught and lean. He pinched one of the pink nipples and rubbed it with his thumb, exploring the other's body. It was strange; he looked so human.

"I'm growing impatient. Fuck me _now_," he growled the order.

Cliff cocked his head a little. _Doesn't like foreplay, huh? Maybe just not anything soft._ That would make sense. He was rough by nature, so perhaps… He leaned down and bit his nipple. Albel gasped, back arching. Ah, so he did like it like that. He pulled his head up, keeping his teeth locked on Albel's nipple, pulling the Elicoorian up with him. He let go, his hand trailing to the back of his head. He gathered the two rat tails in one hand and yarded them backwards. Albel cried out. Cliff stood up, pulling him with him. He looked at him. Albel was panting heavily. So that's how it was.

"Masochist," Cliff breathed. And a sadist, too. My, my. "You like this?" A dim nod. Well, that was interesting. He threw him against a wall. He knew Albel could take quite a bit of punishment—something he had learned from their battle. He wondered how much, though, before it started to hurt instead of feel good. Albel grunted with the impact. His breathing was still heavy. Albel looked at Cliff and leaped toward him, nearly knocking him over, pressing his lips against his as he desperately sought entry. It was denied. Cliff pushed his tongue against Albel's lips. They parted. Cliff had had just about enough of this. He lifted Albel and pushed him toward a chair. He turned him around, bending him over the chair. Albel glanced back at him hungrily. Cliff grabbed Albel's waist with one hand and positioned himself with the other. He looked again at Albel's quivering and excited body. He really did look very human.

He suddenly froze. He stepped away. _Human…_ And what had happened with Earthlings and Klausians once? Klausians had killed them by accident in bed. He knew nothing about Elicoorian anatomy, or what they could take. Just looking like one species didn't make them that. What if he did something that, say, Fayt could take, but it hurt him? Or even killed him? He knew that Albel could take hits and punches, but as far as sex went…

"What?" Albel wondered. He turned around. "Cliff?" He looked confused—maybe even a little worried. Why wouldn't he be? Cliff had done something that would suggest that he had lost interest in him. He would have reacted the same way.

Cliff shook his head. "I can't."

Albel's hands balled in to fists. "Why not?" he demanded.

He looked at him again. He just didn't know… "I'm afraid to hurt you," he admitted.

The Elicoorian glared at him. "You…" In a moment, he was on his feet. He swung a punch at him—this time with the gauntlet. Cliff felt blood dribble down his cheek. He flinched. "You're… afraid to hurt _me_?"

"Albel, listen," Cliff said. He raked his fingers through his hair. How could he explain it? "I'm a Klausian—and we're not built like you. A long time ago, Earthlings… like Fayt and Maria… tried to have sex with Klausians—and ended up getting killed because we didn't know enough about each other's anatomy. You look a lot like an Earthling, but you're not. Simply put, I don't want to be responsible for hurting you." Klausians, after all, looked a lot like Earthlings—and the two were very different.

Albel gave him such a look of disgust that it actually made him _feel_ disgusting. "You worthless worm," he hissed.

"It's not like that," Cliff tried again. "I just don't want to get carried away and tear you in half…" And he looked so delicate besides.

Albel turned his back to him. "I'm stronger than Fayt—" He spat the name. "—but you will have sex with him before me?" He turned his head back and glared venom at him. He had never thought that anyone would reject him—and someone had. Why? Because he was afraid to hurt him? What an idiotic notion.

Cliff reached toward him. Albel stepped away from him bitterly. "I didn't say I wouldn't do my best to pleasure you—only that I was afraid to have sex with you." He smiled in a way that spoke volumes of the things he had in mind. Albel turned back around. "Perhaps… after I've learned more about your anatomy, we'll have sex."

This seemed to be to the other's liking. "So learn about me," he breathed. Cliff walked toward him, catching hold of him. Albel pushed himself against Cliff's chest. He licked off the blood on his cheek. "I'll tell you about me." His voice sent shivers up Cliff's spine. "I like it rough."

Cliff's hands roved over his body, tracing every dip and curve, outlining his ribs, memorizing the way he breathed. He trailed his fingertips over his abdomen, studying the hard muscle there. He lifted Albel off of his feet and threw him again on to the floor. He landed on his back. He stayed down, looking up anxiously at Cliff. Cliff leaned over him. He began at his feet, touching each toe, feeling all the bones in his feet. He gripped his ankles and caressed his calves. Albel moaned softly. He touched his knees and worked his way slowly up his thighs. He spent a substantial amount of time exploring his groin. Albel grabbed one of Cliff's hands and sucked on his fingers in a desperate, hungry manner. Saliva dripped off of them. Albel had a skilled tongue. The Elicoorian pulled his hand down between his legs, guiding them to the place he wanted them.

Cliff shoved his finger inside. He made quick, sharp movements, loosening him. He pushed in another finger. Albel groaned. He made a scissor motion with his fingers, then twisted his hand, pushing inside him, trying to feel as much of him as he could. His other hand caressed his hips. Albel pushed against him. He was a demanding lover. Cliff couldn't say he didn't like it. He touched his arm, his shoulder, feeling his neck. He felt just like an Earthling—gods, they were similar. But he still wondered how similar. He shoved in another finger. The Elicoorian's back arched, twisting, pulling him deeper inside him. His fingers wouldn't go any farther. Albel looked nothing short of disappointed. He glanced longingly at Cliff. Cliff shook his head. He still wasn't confident.

"Then let me be on top," he said. He moaned loudly and gave a sharp cry. That might work. He would just have to remind himself to let Albel do it. He grabbed him with his free arm, continuing to push inside of him, twisting his wrist, wiggling his fingers. He gasped.

Cliff laid down on his back, moving Albel on top of him. He pulled his fingers away. Albel straddled him eagerly. He lowered himself on to Cliff. He froze with all of Cliff's length in him. He felt a little like he was being impaled. He shivered. He'd never felt so… Ah, was there a word for it? If there was, it evaded him. Hell, words weren't important right now anyway.

Cliff's hands gently caressed him as he moved on top of him. The slower Albel went, the softer was Cliff's touch. The harder, the less gentle. It influenced Albel to move quickly; he liked it rough. Cliff pinched his nipples and yanked them down, toward him. Albel leaned down and kissed him. Cliff bit his lip. He moaned softly. Blood dripped down his chin from the bite. Cliff moved to his neck and bit in to it. He groaned. There would be marks there.

He grabbed his long hair and jerked him back, pulling him back as far as he could, forcing Albel to arch his back almost uncomfortably. He let go. Albel pushed against him. Sweat beaded over his smooth skin. His thighs ached from the position, but it felt too good to move. Cliff slapped him—not hard enough to do much damage—but hard enough to leave his cheek red. Albel shuddered. Cliff wondered if he had shuddered when whoever had put the bruise on his cheek had hit him too. He hoped that he hadn't.

Albel was a much better lay than Fayt, Cliff decided hazily. Besides that, he just looked… so damn _sexy_ writhing on top of him, moving on top of him. His facial expressions were _delicious_ too. His hair was sticking to his face and he didn't seem to notice. Fayt had been a good lover naturally, but nothing compared to honed skill and experience.

Cliff was dying to bend Albel back over the chair. It was an effort to restrain himself. _Not yet… I'll learn a little more first_.

But what had he learned? He had learned that Albel derived the most pleasure while he was simultaneously in pain. As far as physically, there weren't really any differences from an Earthling. So… perhaps…

He gripped Albel's waist as he sat up. He continued fucking him all the way to the chair. He set the smaller man down and pushed him—bending him over the chair. Albel shivered with obvious excitement. _Finally_…

Cliff pushed himself in to him. _Yes…!_

He gripped Albel's hair again, forcing him to arch his back like a cat while he pounded in to him. Another benefit to having sex here was that it didn't matter about how much noise they made. It was nice not having to choke back his voice and worry about any sounds that might be heard.

He ground his hips against the other man. Albel gave a sharp cry. Experimentally, Cliff drew his hand back and hit him in the side of his ass. Albel's muscles tightened automatically, clenching around him. Cliff made a sound like a sigh of pleasure and decided to do that periodically.

He leaned a little closer, trailing his tongue along his spine, tasting sweat. He nibbled on the side of his neck. Albel turned his head and caught his lips greedily.

Cliff moved one of his hands to Albel's groin, gliding his hand along the length of him, spreading his pre-cum over him. He matched the rhythm of his pace with his hand. Albel pushed back against him, demanding more. Cliff was only too happy to give it. Still, he had to hold back—just a little.

Albel did something with his hips that made him gasp. It felt really good. A soft smile of satisfaction flickered across his face and he did it again. Cliff groaned. He kissed Albel's neck again. "I'm going to come," he whispered. "In you?"

Albel moaned. "Mmmm," he purred agreeably. He moved his hips again, pushing back. He arched his back, halfway rising. His fingertips trailed along Cliff's hard-muscled chest. He teased his taught nipples and gently raked his skin with his fingernails. Cliff thrust in to him one last time, burying himself inside him completely. Albel gasped, panting at the feel of the other's release. Cliff gave a few more thrusts, his hand wrapped around Albel's erection. He pulled out and lifted Albel on to the seat, laying him on his back. It was a little too small, but it would work. He pulled his legs apart, gently stroking him the entire time. He watched the sticky semen run out of him. He leaned in and ran his tongue over it, lapping at it. Albel groaned. Cliff tasted blood mixed in with it. His stomach knotted. He had hurt him?

Cliff discerned, dimly, Albel's clawed hand sink in to the seat. Well, that seat was ruined. He didn't think that the other even noticed it.

Just as the flow of semen was stopping, Albel released, silently, all of his muscles tensing briefly, then he relaxed and sighed, sagging. Cliff's hand dripped semen, and it was all over Albel's belly, unheeded. Cliff leaned over his uke. Albel's eyes slid open the way a door slides open when a person is hesitant. He kissed him again. Albel could taste semen and didn't care. Cliff started to pull away, kissed him one more time and stood up. His muscles ached. He stretched and went to find the towels. To his good fortune, there were some. He cleaned up his hand and came back with a new one. He ran it over Albel's stomach, cleaning him off. Albel didn't move; he was still trying to catch his breath.

Cliff tossed the towel away and found his clothes. He started dressing. They needed to get back to the inn and get some sleep. How much time had gone by? He really had no idea—but the younger man needed some sleep. As if to punctuate that thought, Albel slid to the floor, eyes closed. Curious, Cliff, half-naked, walked over to him. He squatted down, staring at him. He was dead asleep. He sighed and continued dressing. After he was finished, he glanced back at Albel. He was still asleep. He must have been exhausted.

He walked back over to him and nudged him. "Wake up," he called. No answer. He really was dead asleep. He kicked him lightly in the side. Albel shot upright and reached for a sword that wasn't there. The look on his face when he discovered the sword was absent was akin to someone thinking there was one more step to a flight of stairs when there wasn't; a shocked look of surprise. He glanced at Cliff and stood up wearily. He found his clothes. Cliff's eyes roved over his attractive body. His ass was red where he had slapped him. He remembered the blood and his stomach twisted in knots again.

"Sorry," Cliff muttered. Albel paused to look at him, one arm through his shirt. "I hurt you; you were bleeding."

Albel yanked his shirt on. "It's fine," he said. He looked at him. His face was still flushed, but it was very different from when he had been sick. He looked… awfully cute, actually. He really did have terrible posture though. He'd have back and neck problems like that… "It felt good."

"If you say so," he said. He waited for him to finish dressing. It was actually rather interesting to watch. He would have thought that he would have problems with his metal arm, but he had become rather dexterous with it. Not to say that he wouldn't do better with a real hand, but it was still impressive that he could tie a knot with it. His shirt was the most interesting part. Because of the metal gauntlet, he couldn't fit the arm through the sleeve hole, so the shirt actually opened at the side and attached itself with hidden hooks. How he got that on was still difficult to believe. Wouldn't it be easier to just take off the gauntlet? Why was keeping it on a big deal?

Cliff almost asked him, but something about it kept him from doing so.

When Albel was fully dressed, they left the small ship and went back to the inn to sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

_Attraction_

The only one who commented on Albel's "miracle heal" was Maria. "So, Cliff, you must have taken him to the _Eagle,_ right?" she said.

"Yeah… He looked pretty bad last night," Cliff admitted. "So I figured if we let him get better on his own, it'd take days."

"Hmph," Albel snorted. He walked past them, on his way out of the inn.

"Where are you going?" Fayt wondered right before he opened the door to leave.

Albel glanced back at him. "I'm servicing my gauntlet." He raised his metal claw briefly to clear his point. He flexed the claws. They made a high-pitched creaking sound. He scowled at it and went on his way.

Nel frowned. "One of us should go with him—make sure he's not up to something," she said, obviously intending it to be someone else. She glanced at a certain young male, implying that she thought he should go.

Fayt nodded. "I'll go," he volunteered, taking the hint. He followed him out. Cliff looked away, out the window in fact, watching Albel march by followed by Fayt. He had wanted to go—maybe do something in an alleyway… Ah, well. He'd have another opportunity some time; of that, he was certain.

Fayt caught up to Albel and walked beside him. He didn't even look at the boy. "So, they sent you to keep an eye on me." It wasn't a question.

The blue-haired youth almost hesitated in replying. "Yeah. Nel thinks you're up to something," he admitted.

Albel ground his teeth. "Aquarian scum," he hissed at her name.

Fayt sighed deeply and changed the subject before Albel's temper rose any higher. "So what does 'servicing your gauntlet' entail?"

"Oiling the joints, buffing out a few scratches, and filing it," he said listlessly. Fayt assumed that the dungeon hadn't been particularly good for the metal any more than it had been good for his body. Albel strode in to the workshop. The smithy there seemed to know him and had done this before. Albel tilted his arm and unhooked, unstrapped, and unbuckled the gauntlet. He slid it off and set it down. The glove he wore under it slid off with it and the owner of the glove left it off. Fayt curiously peered at his arm. His face turned a lovely shade of green that wasn't lost on Albel.

Fayt turned around on his heel, staggered out of the shop, rounded a corner, and lost the contents of his stomach in the alleyway. He spit a few times and got a glass of juice from a store to wash the taste out before he came back.

It wasn't so much that the flesh was horribly mangled. It was that it was burnt, twisted, scarred, melted, and warped—and _alive_. If he had found something that looked like that out lying about somewhere and it was clearly dead, he wouldn't have reacted that way. The idea that something could be that _destroyed_ and still be functional made him sick to his stomach. No wonder Albel kept the gauntlet on.

When Fayt wandered back in, Albel was sitting down, watching the smith work on the gauntlet in a bored kind of way. Fayt watched the smith, but his gaze wandered back to Albel's left arm. This time, he was a bit more prepared for it and didn't become sick, but he still wished he hadn't looked. Albel glanced at him, raising an eyebrow.

"If it bothers you, stop looking at it, fool," he snapped.

"What _happened _to it?" Fayt wondered incredulously, the concern impossible to miss in his voice and expression. He couldn't seem to call his arm an "arm." No matter how he looked at it, it just didn't look like it should be there.

Albel ignored the question and looked back at the smith. Fayt opened his mouth to complain that he had ignored him, but then the other began to speak. "Dragon fire."

Fayt suddenly _really_ didn't want to go face the Marquis. The idea was beginning to be daunting. Say, if the Marquis was ill-tempered and decided it didn't like them… Fayt didn't care to finish that thought.

It didn't take very long; the smith was skilled and there wasn't too much that needed fixing. Afterwards, Albel experimentally moved the joints, inspecting the work. Satisfied, he paid him and they headed back toward the inn.

"How often do you have to do that?" Fayt wondered. He imagined that it would get awfully tiring.

"About once a month," he said flatly. It actually varied a bit more than that depending on how active he was--"active" here meaning "how many fights he got in to."

The snow swirled around in the streets, piling up on rooftops. This was like a Winter Wonderland from hell. How people could stand it was beyond Fayt. He imagined that they just got used to it—_not having nerves might help,_ he thought dryly.

Fayt's eyes roved over Albel. _Come to think of it, how does he wear that?_ _And still live, that is, in this harsh climate? _ "Aren't you cold?" he wondered.

"Yes," he said blandly.

"So why don't you wear something warmer? And less revealing?"

"Does it bother you?" he wondered, looking at him quizzically, then he smirked. "Or are you concerned about my health?"

Fayt blinked in surprise. "What? No, I just—"  
He moved uncomfortably close to Fayt. "Or is it that you find it difficult to stop looking at my body?" he said, his tone turning coy.

Fayt could only stare at him for a moment, stuttering. "What…? You… I… No!"

Albel took another step closer to him. Fayt took a step back to keep the distance between them. "Or perhaps you're intimidated by my body?"

"No…"

Another step closer. The Earthling backed up again. "Do you want me too?" he asked. Fayt didn't have time to puzzle over that; Albel kept moving forward and to compensate, he had to move backward. His back thumped against the alley wall. Albel moved in to close him in. He reached his arms out, blocking him at all sides.

Fayt stared at him. He wondered how far away the inn was. If he yelled, would they hear it? The wind howled, stirring up the snow. Flakes of snow caught in their hair and eyelashes. "Albel…"

"Do you?" he breathed in a wispy voice.

Fayt shivered in the cold. The tips of his ears were going numb. "Come on. We need to get going… Besides, it's cold out here," he pleaded.

Albel smiled, the look threaded with lust. Blue-green eyes widened. "Don't worry. I can keep you warm," he whispered, leaning his head toward Fayt. Fayt could feel his warm breath on his neck. He wasn't really sure how he felt about this. Albel seemed to be enjoying himself though. Why, the Earthling wasn't certain.

Albel liked the look on Fayt's face—so full of apprehension, a little bit of fear, and even… Was it hope? Hope for what? He liked it though. Cliff was certainly… more attractive, but Fayt had a certain quality… something, anyway.

"Cute" wasn't actually a word in Albel's vocabulary, but if he had to use a term for Fayt, "cute" was the only one that really fit. And he certainly looked… adorable (another word that didn't belong in his vocabulary) right now—shivering in the cold, snowflakes stuck on his long eyelashes, peering up at Albel nervously. He actually looked rather seductive (a word that _did_ belong in his vocabulary)—though he probably didn't realize it.

"Albel—" Fayt tried again, but was abruptly cut off. He didn't move, and barely breathed. Albel's lips were pressed against his, his body pushed against him suggestively. Fayt's eyes stayed locked open. Red eyes looked in to blue ones—like a fire looking out at the sea. With Albel's body heat, it was actually much warmer. Fayt felt his lips soften and mold to Albel's, almost against his own will.

It was a shame it was so cold; they'd never be able to go any farther. No longer seeing a point in continuing, Albel turned away. He sauntered back to the inn, a confused Fayt following in his wake. Inside, the others were talking and eating. Albel picked at the food the way an anorexic would pick at a good meal, and Fayt had lost his appetite as well, despite the empty state of his stomach.

Cliff clapped Fayt on the back hard enough to make him nearly fall out of his chair. Fayt gagged. He felt cider run out of his nose. "You'd better eat up, kid. If you faint from hunger in those mountains, I'm not gonna carry ya."

Fayt frowned, wiping at the cider, wrinkling his nose. "Yeah, yeah," he muttered. He took a bite anyway, resituating himself.

Cliff pointed at Albel the way a public prosecutor might point at the accused. "You too. I understand you need to keep your 'girlish figure' but you need some meat on those bones too." He should know.

Albel replied by chucking the nearest weighty object at Cliff's head. It happened to be a barstool. Cliff ducked and it sailed over him and hit the wall behind him. The inn proprietress yelled at Cliff for instigating, though not at Albel for throwing it. Nel picked up the stool and handed it to Cliff. He sighed and put it back. It was interesting how no one expected Albel to pick up after himself or behave in a proper manner.

Cliff suddenly grinned at the Glyphian swordsman, who scowled in turn. "Ya see? You throw like a girl!"

"'Like a girl,' huh?" Maria demanded.

Cliff's eyes widened a little and the grin was wiped from his face. "I didn't mean it like—"  
Nel crossed her arms. "Aren't we women?"

His mouth twisted in a grimace. "I meant…"

"Let's get going, Nel," Maria said. Nel nodded and they walked off, leaving the other three behind.

Cliff stood up. "No, listen! I…" He ran after them into the cold outside. Albel chuckled condescendingly. Fayt snorted in a disapproving manner.

"We should leave as well," Fayt said. He headed for the door. He heard the Elicoorian get up behind him. The proprietress had her back turned, counting out money. Albel grabbed Fayt's arm and pulled him back around. Fayt's eyes were wide with surprise, and widened further when Albel kissed him again. He made a sound like a mouse squeaking when Albel's hand roved over his shirt and pinched his nipple playfully through the fabric. The Elicoorian pulled away and strolled out of the inn as if it had never happened. Fayt, bewildered, followed him.

When they caught up to the others, Cliff seemed to be doing nothing short of digging himself in deeper. The girls banished him to walking behind everyone else. This banishment was made difficult because Albel seemed to want to trail behind the others—primarily out of a desire to be alone but secondarily because it meant that he could watch Cliff's hard-muscled body and imagine the things he wanted to do to him and with him. This was a poor tactical error on everyone else's part to allow this because it meant that, should Albel decide to attack, he could stab them from behind. What they should have done was make Albel walk in front so that they could keep an eye on him.

Albel's gaze trailed to Fayt. He had a nice ass—what he could see of it anyway and the way he walked in the snow was innocently seductive. His thoughts strayed to the things he would like to do to Fayt. Fortunately, it was too cold to get an erection.

They accepted a ride to the Bequerel Mountains by the Dragon Brigade—which was a weird experience to say the least. Once an enemy, and now giving them rides. Interesting that something like a common enemy could turn two warring countries to help each other.

Once they arrived, they headed up the mountains. After much wandering around, nearly getting themselves lost, and running in to many aggressive dragons, they came across what looked like a dragon graveyard. Fayt walked in to it out of curiosity. Maria and Nel were on the lookout for air dragons. Cliff stood guard. Albel went with Fayt to investigate. As misfortunate would have it, an air dragon swooped down and grabbed Fayt and as a second thought, grabbed Albel too and flew off with them. The entire time, Albel glared at Fayt as though it were his fault.

"Don't glare at _me_ like that—you got caught too!" Fayt snapped.

Albel frowned. "I came with you to make sure you don't get yourself killed, fool," he retorted.

Fayt smirked. "So, you do care about me."

His frown deepened. "If you die, I end up back in prison," he said flatly.

"Selfish prick," Fayt muttered, right before the dragon dropped them. "I let my guard down." Fayt stood up. Albel looked around. There were small dragons running around everywhere. "Did it put us here as food?"

"Yes, maggot." He fingered the hilt of his sword. "We can't stay here." They wove their way in and out of the dragons, occasionally having to kill them to make it through. While they were alone, Fayt thought that he might as well ask about what had happened earlier today.

"Hey, Albel," Fayt said. Albel glanced at him briefly. "About… Er… I mean, why did you…" He sighed, flustered. He had a feeling of serious déjà vu. And how had that ended up? He needed to just say it, get to the point and all that. "You kissed me. Why would you do that?"

"Just… curious," he said, walking a little ahead of him now.

"Yeah? About what?" Fayt wondered suspiciously.

He shrugged one shoulder. "I was curious as to why Cliff seems attracted to you."

Fayt stood frozen, his mouth moving for a moment without any sound coming out of it. Finally, he found his voice. Unfortunately, nothing intelligent became of it. "What!"  
"You heard me, worm."

"How did you…?"

He frowned. "I've seen you staring at him, and shrinking closer to him when you're in trouble or worried." _Pathetic_ _worm._ All the same, he felt a little jealous. How long had _they_ been having sex? He saw that Fayt looked troubled and worried now. He almost grinned wickedly at that. _Cliff's not here now…_

"That's because… He's like my bodyguard, so I…" Fayt's voice trailed off when Albel gave him a flat look. His face suddenly turned red. Did the girls know too? If it was that obvious, then… And he had been oblivious?

Fayt followed Albel around. They had to do a bit of backtracking once or twice, but they found something that might be an exit. Fayt felt decidedly more awkward. Albel didn't seem to care all that much, but he did keep giving Fayt looks that made him feel uncomfortable—like he was scrutinizing him, similar to someone staring at a bug under glass.

They made it out of the area with the small dragons. Fayt somehow ended up in front again. Fayt caught Albel looking at his ass (he hadn't really tried to hide it either). "Stop staring at me!" Fayt yelled. Albel glanced back where the dragons were. None followed the sound. "Stop staring at me," he repeated in a lower voice.

"Why?"

Fayt stuttered. How does one respond to that anyway? Albel wouldn't accept generic answers, like "it's rude" or such; he wouldn't care. "Well, because… Because…" Damn, what could he really say? It suddenly came to him, like a happy flash of lightning. He was almost smug with the idea. Hopefully, Albel would be too disgusted or disturbed to answer and that would be that. "What, are you attracted to me?"

"A little," he said matter-of-factly.

Fayt blanched. _I can't believe he just admitted to that,_ he thought. But what he really couldn't believe was what he did next. He walked over to him and kissed him again. Not only that, he grabbed his wrists and walked him backwards to the rock wall, pinning him there and kissed him again—and again. In fact, he only stopped kissing him to take a breath. Fayt didn't really know what to do. On one hand, they had a mission to do and besides, what about Cliff?

However, on the other hand, Albel was actually rather attractive… and here—and making it obvious that he wanted him. Besides that, why should he be concerned about Cliff? They weren't together or anything; they just had sex sometimes.

Fayt didn't feel any real emotional attachment to Cliff—other than friendship. The only attachment otherwise was sexual; nothing more. Surely, it wasn't a big deal if… Why was he even considering this!? He kicked Albel in the shin. In retaliation, Albel stomped on his foot irritably (but it didn't hurt too badly) and pushed himself closer to Fayt, pinning him to the wall. He used his own legs to pin Fayt's in place. He readjusted himself and pushed Fayt's left arm in to his claw, slamming his wrists against the rock face.

With his newly freed hand, he began to molest Fayt's chest, running his fingertips along the fabric, feeling the muscle and bone beneath, paying attention to the rhythm of his breathing. Fayt slowly slackened. True, they needed to get going, but they didn't even know where they were right now—or if there really was a way down from here besides flying. So why not?

Fayt kissed Albel back, at first tentative and then with gathering confidence. Heat rose. Their bodies became impatient for more contact. Albel let go of Fayt's wrist. Fayt did not resist him or try to flee with his newfound freedom. His hands roved freely over the other's body, and Albel did likewise. Fayt tugged at the cloth belt suggestively. Albel gave a guttural growl of agreement. Fayt pulled it off. With it, came almost everything from his lower half. His skirt fell around his ankles. Albel stopped and removed his sword, dropping it with the rest of his accessories.

Fayt hooked a finger underneath Albel's shirt. "How does this come off?"

"I'll do it. You get undressed," he commanded. Fayt rolled his eyes and yanked his clothes off. He dropped them in a heap. He shivered in the sudden chill, but he wasn't cold for long. Albel came over to him and kissed him again, this time briefly before he turned Fayt around. He pushed him against the rock wall. Fayt's member scraped the rock. He grimaced. Albel's fingers coiled around him. He felt the metal claws gently graze his back. His hand began to move, to fondle him. Fayt moaned and pushed against his hand. The head again grazed the rock, and this time it wasn't quite as uncomfortable.

The Elicoorian moved his hand away. Fayt ached for the touch again, but was not long wanted. He heard Albel suck on his fingers and then moved his hand between Fayt's legs. Fayt moved his legs a little farther apart for easier access. One finger wormed its way inside him. He squirmed a little before his body got used to it and it felt good. Albel's fingers weren't as big as Cliff's. The difference was that Albel could fit more fingers in. Another finger snaked inside. Albel's metal arm wrapped around his waist, and the other continued to push in to him. He twisted his wrist, making him loose enough to slip in the third finger. Fayt groaned, leaning back in to it. He arched his back. Albel's lips grazed his neck, then nibbled along his shoulder. His fingers were prying, searching, ever-moving.

When Albel shoved a fourth finger in, Fayt yelped in surprise, then sighed and groaned. His body twisted, arcing. He ran his fingers along Albel's thighs, feeling the strong muscles there, touching his hips, groaning, twisting his hips against him. Albel decided that this was enough. He slipped his fingers out, grimacing a little at them. He positioned himself with his hand. Fayt helped by arching his back, holding still. Albel pushed in to him, sliding inside him easily. He gripped Fayt's waist and pounded in to him with a force that was comparable to the phrase "with a vengeance."

Eventually, though, the position got to be uncomfortable, and besides, Albel wanted him a different way. He grabbed his uke and pushed him down to the ground, on all fours. Albel leaned over him, pushing back inside him. His fingers sunk into Fayt's blue hair to get a good grip, then yanked his head back. Fayt gave a cry of surprise, but it didn't hurt him. Albel kissed him as fiercely and passionately as he pounded in to him. Fayt moaned, then gasped as the air was pushed forcibly from his lungs. Albel caught his breath in his mouth and let go of him.

Fayt couldn't seem to catch his breath. He could only gasp and cry out, moaning frequently. Sweat slicked their bodies, dampening their hair. Fayt's arms and legs trembled. He was going to fall; he knew it. He needed to let Albel know—before they both fell. "Albel!" he cried, the name being forced out of him. Albel responded by biting his shoulder. He moaned, but the shaking in his elbows reminded him of his dilemma. "I'm going—" He gasped, panting, trying to get enough breath to say something. Albel was relentless and didn't slow so Fayt could breathe. If anything, he seemed to like that Fayt couldn't breathe.

Fayt managed to get a deep breath. He immediately used it. "Albel, I'm going to fall!" he cried. Immediately, Albel moved to accommodate the problem. He grabbed a hold of Fayt's waist. There were only so many positions they could do out here—with the rocks and the dirt. He considered briefly, then backed out of Fayt. He hauled him to his feet and moved him to the rock wall again, this time with his back to it. He lifted one of Fayt's legs, and lowered himself. He made certain that Fayt was steady. He was; one leg was wrapped around Albel's waist, the other one on tip-toe on the ground, but solid, back leaning against the wall, with his hands locked on to Albel's shoulders.

Albel gently and slowly pushed himself inside Fayt, sheathing himself inside him. He sighed softly, pushing his face against the younger man's neck, inhaling his aroma. Fayt moaned gently, his grip tightening. They kissed again. Their lips didn't leave one another. They moaned, gasped, and cried out in pleasure, but their lips rarely parted, their tongues rarely didn't meet. Fayt couldn't take it any more.

"I'm—" he gasped. "Going to—" He moaned, then gave a sharp cry followed by a long wail of pleasure. "Can't…"

Albel pressed his lips fiercely against Fayt's. If Fayt was ready, then he needed to be too. He put his all in to it, deriving as much pleasure as he possibly could from the boy. It was all too much for Fayt. With another wail, he came, splattering both of their chests. Albel released right after he did, deep in his bowels. They stopped, all movement stopped. They could only try to catch their breath. Albel lowered Fayt to the ground and fell out of him. Fayt leaned heavily against the wall, panting, unable to breathe. He really wanted some water right about now—his throat was terribly parched. He glanced at his chest. Maybe a damp towel too. He thought he might give his left lung for a decent shower.

The other swordsman dropped down beside him, trying to control his breathing. When they had recovered, they had one problem: What to do about Fayt's semen all over their chests.

Albel had an obvious solution, and Fayt, eager to please him, as the Elicoorian had pleased him, agreed. He licked the semen off of his chest, then laid down and let Albel do the same, also lapping at his thighs. Afterwards, Albel straddled him and kissed him again before he stood up and began pulling his clothes back on. Fayt followed his lead.

Now, they moved on to finding a way back to the others.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

_Desire_

Through the cave, they followed a pink baby dragon and Fayt played his new Dragonbone Flute for it until he figured out that the different tunes he could play made its mood change—which was a bit interesting. Fayt played the angry song and frowned.

"You know, that just doesn't sound angry to me," he said, then played the sad song. It didn't sound particularly sad either. Albel was annoyed with the whole thing.

After that, there was another dark cave. They couldn't see inside, and the sun was setting so it provided no illumination. They peered in, unable to see anything and not having any light to shine into the darkness. Fayt didn't have his lightstone (Nel had it equipped for some reason), so they had to charge in blindly. This idea did not sit well with either of them.

Albel had a solution: The Glyphian shoved Fayt inside first. Fayt screamed. Albel heard him fall and hit the bottom. He peered downwards, not seeing anything below. He squinted in the dark, but still couldn't make out anything down there.

"Are you all right, worm?" he called from above.

The Earthling looked up, but didn't see Albel above him, but he could hear him. "I'm all right," he said. "It's not a very deep drop." Fayt peered around, squinting in the dark. "I think this is one of the caves we went in to earlier."

"Get out of the way, then, fool," Albel commanded. Fayt sighed and moved several paces away. Albel jumped down, landing nimbly. The two felt their way out of the cave. It was not an enjoyable experience. They almost lost each other twice, not to mention that there were things moving around in the dark that they could hear but not see; a troubling predicament. Tempers grew short in the dark, and their conversations consisted primarily of insults and yelling at each other, despite how close they had been earlier.

"Why'd you stop, worm?"

"There's a wall here; I'm trying to feel where to go."

"Well, tell me before you stop so I won't run in to you, fool."

And…

"Ack!"

"What?"

"… My hair got caught on something."

"If you cut it, it won't get caught on things."

"Shut up, idiot."

And…

"Albel? Where'd you go…? …Albel?"

"I found the exit, maggot!"

"Where are you?"

Regardless of their issues, they made it out without any real problems. That is to say, they didn't get too lost, hurt, or end up strangling each other out of sheer frustration with the other.

Now, they were back on the path, but now what?

Fayt squinted down the road, looking at the dragons further down the path. Albel kneeled down in the stream created by the waterfall and rinsed off his hand. Fayt knew why. Remembering that Albel had grabbed his hair with that hand, he cupped a bit of the water and ran it through his blue hair. The coolness actually felt kind of good after all the running around and the sex. As an afterthought, he made a shallow bowl with his hands and sipped from the stream. All sorts of things about hygiene, science, and other related things came to mind as he did it. He ignored all of that for the time being; he was parched.

Fayt looked at Albel. "Any ideas on what we should do?" he asked, flicking the water from his fingers.

Albel took several steps forward and glanced one way, then another. "It won't be safe here after dark, and your friends either moved on without us or went to town for the night." He looked back at Fayt. "As we don't know where they went, it might be better if we waited in town."

Fayt nodded in agreement. "Right. Let's head to Arias then." They ventured down the trail quickly, avoiding fights when possible and dispatching enemies quickly when it wasn't. When they made it to Arias, Fayt went to see Clair. Ever anti-social, Albel stayed outside. Clair informed Fayt that the others had gone to Peterny to regroup and decide on what they should do. Though it was getting late, Albel and Fayt agreed to meet them in Peterny. They practically ran all the way there to make it before it was too late in the evening. Fayt checked at the inn and found Nel first. After a brief greeting, she fetched the other two. The others were relieved to see them both well. That may have been an exaggeration—they were relieved to see _Fayt_ well and nonchalant about Albel. Fayt could see the relief in Cliff's eyes and was glad of it. A slight tingling of guilt welled up in him. He didn't have to know.

Albel and Fayt walked to the bar to get food, as it was the only place still open at this hour. Fayt noticed that all the Aquarians at the bar took one look at the former Captain of the Black Brigade and seemed to flee to the other side of the bar—not all of them surreptitiously either. Albel seemed to be oblivious to it, but there was no way he could miss something like that.

Fayt and Albel ate a brisk meal and then went back to the inn. The girls had taken baths and gone to bed while they did that. Cliff was on his way to the bathhouse when they came back. Fayt was quick to join him; he had been dreaming of bathing for a good long time. Albel, thinking of how Fayt had covered him in semen and about all the stale sweat clinging to his body, went with them. Undressing in front of each other was almost awkward, and made more awkward because they were the only ones there. The Airyglyph swordsman was the only one unfettered by it. But that was normal—he walked around half-naked anyway and seemed to enjoy exposing himself to the general public, so stripping naked in front of people he had had sex with was no major concern at all.

Cliff and Fayt, however, still were not aware that the other had had sex with Albel, so it was awkward for them. They both glanced at each other before slipping in to the water. Albel had his hair undone, and was careful to keep his left arm out of the water because he refused to remove the gauntlet.

The three of them each stayed at opposite ends. The awkwardness hung so thick in the air that it was almost tangible. Cliff was the one who decided to break it. He had been feeling guilty ever since that night with Albel in the _Eagle_ and when he thought that Fayt had been killed when he had been carried away, it had really gnawed at his guts like maggots gnawed on dead flesh.

He moved over to Fayt and made his confession. "I had sex with Albel," he admitted bluntly, pointing at Albel as if his existence were evidence of that. Albel frowned. The frown conveyed his thoughts better than words could have: _And you choose to confess this to him with me _here_?_

Fayt, instead of reacting the way he had thought he might, sighed in relief, slinking a bit further in to the water. "So did I," he said. "Well, that's a relief. Now I don't feel guilty about it." Fayt glanced at Albel and raised an eyebrow. _What a slut_, he thought. Then, _I shouldn't talk at this rate_.

"Good," Albel said. "Now that neither of you are hiding anything from each other, let's fuck."

Fayt blanched. Cliff stared at him blankly, hardly believing what he had heard. Albel frowned at their expressions, clearly not seeing anything wrong with what he had just said.

"But… How…" Fayt stammered.

Albel sighed and stood up. He waded through the water over to the other two and leaned over Fayt. "This is how. Cliff, assist me." His voice held volumes of unspoken promises and desires. He looked at Cliff, waiting. His eyes were filled with lust and eagerness. He remembered all too well both of those qualities in the man—and fondly too.

"Sounds good to me," Cliff said. Fayt looked from one to the other, clearly nervous about the entire idea. He didn't have to be for long though. Albel pulled him up and bent him over the side of the large tub. He didn't bother preparing him; it took too much time, and he was slick with the water anyway. Albel glanced at Cliff, pulling him to him with his other arm even as he forced himself inside Fayt. Fayt cried out in a mixture of pain and pleasure.

Cliff went behind Albel. _God, his hair is long,_ he thought briefly, then moved to take him, and was quick to do so. Albel moaned. The water splashed, sloshing over them. Cliff grabbed Albel's hair in one fist, using it more or less like a horse's reigns. The term was comparable to what he was doing to him anyway.

Albel ground further in to Fayt. Fayt's throbbing erection rubbed against the side of the tub. Somehow, it was a little awkward with three, but it was… attractive too—and very pleasurable. Besides, he figured that having two semes had to be twice as… nice. Albeit, Albel was more of a switch.

Cliff slammed as far as he could into Albel, pushing him forward, in to Fayt. Fayt's hips ground against the side of the tub, the weight of the other two pinning him down, but not uncomfortably so. However, after Cliff did that about eight times (and while it only heightened Albel's pleasure), Fayt was finding it difficult to breathe. It was frustrating, because it felt really good too and even if he did manage to get a chance to fill his lungs, the other two just rammed the air out again, or it felt so good that he couldn't help but cry out.

Fayt squirmed, trying to brace himself against the edge of the bath with his hands so he didn't get the wind knocked out of him so often. The idea was more or less impossible, with the pace that Albel and Cliff set, but he tried anyway. For his efforts, he just fell back over again, chest on the wooden floor, providing a perfect angle for Albel. He felt Albel's tongue roll across his back, his teeth tugging almost playfully at his skin and was just as quickly gone.

Cliff hauled Albel back up, pulling him so that he could kiss him. Their lips met and only parted after Cliff thrust deep inside of Albel, hard enough to cause him to jump and cry out in pleasure. Fayt groaned, slipping. The water was splashing, raining droplets on them. Fayt wondered how long he could hold out; it felt really good.

Albel pinched Fayt's nipple, rolling the hard nub between two fingers. His hand trailed down to Fayt's erection and toyed with the head. Cliff's hands fell from Albel's hair to touch his body, caressing his thighs, his hips, his waist—he had a lovely waist. One of his hands trailed up to Albel's neck and gingerly wrapped around it, where the collar ordinarily was. Cliff's fingers around his neck were tighter than the collar and with just as steady a grip. Albel groaned in pleasure, gasping when Cliff squeezed a bit tighter, cutting off his ability to breathe, then relaxing just enough so he could draw a breath, then doing it again.

Albel sighed, and realized that he had just about reached his limit—Cliff was an outstanding lover and Fayt felt amazing. He glanced at Fayt and judged that it was about time for him as well. And if it wasn't, Albel would make sure that it was. Unfortunately, Cliff thrust himself deep inside him, then twisted his hips, absolutely destroying the swordsman's plans. Albel's toes curled and he screamed. The entire hotel—no, likely the entire town—heard it. He certainly didn't care. White-hot release engulfed him. Fayt sagged and Albel moaned, leaning back against Cliff's wet body. He kissed Cliff and pulled away.

He pulled himself on to the side of the tub and watched the rest of the scene play out. He derived almost as much pleasure from simply watching as he had from participating; now he could better see their facial expressions and appreciate their bodies—the perfect eye candy, actually.

Cliff pulled Fayt around and adjusted his legs around him. He slid in to Fayt's well-prepared and wet hole. He actually liked the way Albel's semen felt inside Fayt. He almost released simply feeling it, then pulled out a little, denying himself that, sliding back in again and concentrating on Fayt. Albel looked on with rapt attention. His throat felt sort of tender. Something cold might be good… Then he forgot about how sore his throat felt from the asphyxiation, because the scene was growing quite appealing.

Fayt wrapped himself around Cliff, pushing against him, trying to devour him as much as possible. His tongue roved over Cliff's body, lapping at the mixture of water and sweat. Suddenly, the two slipped and plunged under the water. They almost didn't notice. Albel had started brushing his hair, but still watched in interest.

The splashing increased, and all other noises all but ceased. Bubbles rose to the surface, movements slowed in the water. Fayt gave a silent, watery cry—the end of his sexual endurance. Cliff was quick to follow. The two broke the surface, gasping for air, showering Albel with water. The swordsman sighed and recommenced brushing his hair.

When they regained their breath, the actual bath was resumed. Albel was the first to leave, and left as though nothing had ever happened, though Cliff noticed that he did sway his hips a little more than would be considered normal. Before he got to the door, he looked back at Cliff and a smile snaked its way across his mouth—a smile full of dark desire. His eyes slid to the more innocent Fayt, who didn't get the full intention of the look, but scratched the surface enough to understand.

Fayt, exhausted, headed for bed. The rooms had been divided up in such a way as that Fayt and Cliff shared a room, Nel and Maria shared a room, and Albel, who was rather testy, got a room to himself. Fayt fell in to the nearest bed and snuggled under the blankets contentedly. He was asleep before he had time to contemplate the day's rather odd turn of events.

Cliff, on the other hand, went for a small walk around the hotel. He peeked in at Fayt and saw that he was asleep already. Albel's light, however, was on. Maybe he should go ask him when he planned to stop seducing everyone he came across. He wondered if Albel would go after Nel and Maria next. Somehow, he doubted it. It had something to do with the hateful way he looked at them—particularly Nel. He also wanted to ask him about where the dragon had taken them and how they got away. Fayt had sort of glazed over it.

He knocked on the door and announced that he was opening it. Any debate he might have had in mind, though, was lost once he laid eyes on the swordsman. Albel was completely naked, his hair still undone, and sitting on the bed, as if he had been waiting. Cliff immediately shut the door.

"Take your clothes off, worm," Albel instructed.

"Keep calling me that, and all you'll get from me is a punch in the face," Cliff retorted, but yanked off his shirt nonetheless. "How'd you know I'd be in here anyway?"

Albel gave a self-satisfied smirk. "I saw you looking at me," he said with a shrug. He waited patiently—what he called patient anyway—for Cliff to undress and come over to the bed. Albel immediately grabbed him and yanked him down on the bed. He shoved Cliff roughly in front of him and leaned forward. Cliff was no good to him the way he was right now. He ran his tongue along his length, then pulled him in to his mouth. He sucked hard enough to make a plecostomus jealous and used enough saliva to completely coat him. It was more than enough. Satisfied, Albel grabbed Cliff again and pulled him on top of him.

"Eager, aren't we?" Cliff muttered sarcastically. He wouldn't have pegged Albel to be this way. Of course, he hadn't thought he would be having sex—let alone with two guys-on this venture either, but here he was. He supposed it was less believable that this was happening, and more believable that Albel was inflicted with satyriasis anyway. "Can you be a little quieter this time?"

Albel frowned. "Why?"

Cliff rolled his eyes. Of course he wouldn't care. "Because I would rather that Nel and Maria didn't know—if they don't already." He had been awfully loud. What if they had woken up to that? He doubted that they would have the gall to ask Albel about it though—so better Albel than Fayt, but all the same…

The swordsman scoffed. "Why do you care about _that_?"

Cliff scowled. "Because _Maria_ is my _boss_. It'd be awkward. As for Nel… it'd just be better if she didn't know—and if you don't agree to keep your mouth shut, nothin's gonna happen," he informed him, pushing himself against Albel so the other got the meaning.

Albel's lips curled in something somewhere between a pout and a grimace. "Fine, maggot."

"What'd I say about that?" Cliff muttered, right before he plunged in to Albel. He flinched a little, wrapping his legs around his seme, rubbing one of his nipples with his right hand. With his left, he trailed the claws—very gently—in patterns on Cliff's back. At times, it still drew droplets of blood, and he had to pull his hand away completely once Cliff decided to just pound him as hard as he could. Albel nearly cried out, but Cliff saw it and smothered it with a long, passionate kiss instead.

Cliff almost pulled away from the kiss, then decided that it was an effective way to smother his cries of pleasure, so didn't stop. However, it only really helped to silence the loud cries; it did nothing for the moaning and gasping. Not to mention that sex in general is noisy. The headboard slammed against the wall on occasion—thankfully it wasn't as raucous as one would assume. Furthermore, the sound of skin slapping against skin could be loud, and the sloshing noise of Cliff's penis moving in and out Albel mingled with it.

Because of the rapid pace, it didn't last very long, but it didn't need to last long to be satisfying. Cliff took a long, much-deserved breath, and then another. He pulled out of Albel. Semen leaked out, spreading over the sheets. Albel's hair was plastered to his face, neck, and shoulders with sweat. So much for washing his hair.

Cliff stood up and stretched. He wiped off the semen on himself with the dirty sheet and pulled his clothes back on, the bath now rendered null. He hesitated at the door, then thought better of it. He walked back to Albel and kissed his lips softly. Albel looked up at him. "Stay here," he said softly—so softly that Cliff wasn't certain that he heard it. He sat up. "I'm going to go talk to Fayt about something. Could you stay here while I do that?"

Cliff raised an eyebrow. "'Talk'? Or by 'talk,' do you mean 'get in his pants'?"

Albel scowled, sitting up. He took the dirty sheet and wiped the semen off of the inside of his thighs and his stomach. "Shut up, fool." He got out of bed and started working on his hair. Cliff paused to watch him, surprised at how well he could maneuver his metal claws.

"Whatever. Just don't stay up too late—both of you need to sleep too." Cliff pulled off his shirt and his shoes and climbed in to bed. Albel contemplated molesting him, then decided to stick to the original plan. He finished one rat tail and started working on the other, going over the things he planned to ask him. He doubted that he would ask all of them—but there was one particular question he really needed to ask him.

Cliff sighed and rolled over, away from the light of the lamp. He supposed that he should be glad that his two ukes were all right. Furthermore, he didn't feel so jealous when they were having sex; there was actually something attractive about it, but he was tired and would rather go to sleep right now than spend the rest of the night fucking the two of them; tomorrow would be a long day, after all. If _they_ wanted to stay up all night, that was their business.

*refer to cut scene with Fayt and Albel in Peterny for this bit, choosing the "not really" option*

When Fayt got back to his room, he collapsed in to bed. What the hell kind of question was _that_?

But Albel had looked so serious. Was he really concerned that Fayt hated him? Why would he worry about it? He didn't seem like the type to be a people-pleaser. So then…? Of course, he could always just be having doubts, or really wanted to know what Fayt thought of him. That wasn't such a big deal, after all. However, waking him up like this was annoying.

Fayt peered at the bed where Albel had stabbed it. Sure enough, there was a hole in it. Nice. Well, that was a certain Glyphian swordsman's fault and _when_ the people working at the inn complained, Fayt would tell them to ask Albel about it.

Besides, how could Albel even have doubts—considering that they had had sex twice now? Shouldn't he realize that he didn't hate him? Of course, one doesn't have to _like_ someone to have sex with them.

Fayt pulled the blanket over his head, irritated. Hadn't he locked that door? Furthermore, he was willing to bet that the innkeeper would be none too pleased about the hole in the mattress.

Well, Cliff had a key to the room, so Albel had probably just commandeered the key. At least they wouldn't have to pay for a broken lock too.

Waking up with a katana dangerously close to your head, wielded by someone half-mad was not the most welcome of things. Fayt yawned. He was very tired. Sleep sounded wonderful. It was a shame that it was so interrupted.

He had just fallen back asleep when the door opened again. He opened one eye. _Albel?_ Not again!

The door shut. He heard someone walking lightly over to the bed. It couldn't be Cliff; he wouldn't muffle his footfalls like this. It had to be Albel. Fayt's fingers curled into a fist. To hell he was letting him do this again. He pretended to still be asleep. However, instead of a katana, Albel gripped the blankets and ripped them back. Fayt rolled over and grabbed Albel before anything else happened.

"What's your problem?" he demanded, his hand clenched on to the purple shirt.

Albel looked a bit surprised, but not unpleasantly so. He leaned down toward Fayt. "Just… saying goodnight." He kissed him softly. Fayt's grip on his shirt loosened and his fingers fell away. Albel pulled back briefly, then kissed him one more time before he went back to his room. Fayt watched him go, yawned, and rolled back over to try to go back to sleep.

_Albel is just insane,_ he thought. _Nothing he does makes sense!_

When said "insane" swordsman returned to his room, he found the lamp turned off and Cliff fast asleep. He glanced at his bed. It was covered in semen and the sheets were messy. He could go back to Fayt's room and sleep there, but a better idea surfaced. He pulled off his clothes and climbed in to bed with Cliff.

"Mmm," Cliff murmured in his sleep to Albel shoving him over to make enough room for the two of them. Cliff opened one eye, a small smile on his face. He moved to accommodate Albel, and felt the smaller man cuddle up to him. He closed his eyes, feeling content for the first time in quite a while. Now all they needed was Fayt too… He heard the door open and close. By the step, he assumed it was Fayt. Fayt came in to bed on the other side and snuggled up to Cliff's chest. "Hi, there."

"Couldn't sleep," he muttered.

Albel lifted his head a little and looked at him, then lay back down. Fayt yawned again. It was crowded in the small bed, but comfortable enough, and he liked everyone's combined scent anyway, and the tangle of limbs wasn't un-agreeable so long as Albel kept his metal claw away, which he did.

At long last, Fayt finally fell asleep for a few blessedly uninterrupted hours.

A Small Thing of Interest: I commissioned someone to make a drawing of this threesome. If anyone would like to take a look: ./198689

And, yes, I *do* have her permission to have it posted. ^^


	9. Chapter 9

Rereading this, I realized that my bias CliffxAlbel fangirl-ism is quite prominent. I promise to make up for it later though. Tehe.

**Chapter Nine**

_Awkward Silence_

Cliff was the first to wake, and pried himself away from the other two and slid out of bed. He pulled on the rest of his clothes and opened the curtains, checking the sun's progress across the sky. It was still early. He glanced back at the two intertwined on the bed. He had better wake them up, lest they have some awkward explaining to do.

"Hey, wake up," Cliff said, walking over to the bed. Fayt groaned and pushed his face closer to Albel's chest. Albel was awake but ignoring Cliff's efforts. "Get up—now. Or we'll have a real awkward time telling the girls why we're all sleeping in here."

"Shut up," Albel commanded. He wouldn't care anyway. But Fayt would.

"Fayt," Cliff called.

"Hm… Hmm?" he answered.

The Klausian prodded him in the shoulder with a finger. "Get up. Don't want the girls getting suspicious, so get out of bed." _If they didn't already know—they had been pretty loud lately…_

"Mmm… Right." He opened his eyes and rubbed them. He attempted to get out of bed, but Albel was still halfway laying on him, so it made getting out of bed difficult. After he untangled himself from the mess of heavy limbs, avoiding Albel's claws, he scooted out of bed. He shoved his feet back in to his shoes and on his way out the door, Cliff scooped him up in one arm and planted a kiss on his surprised lips. He dumped him unceremoniously back on the floor. Fayt huffed indignantly, but he hurried back to his room to put the rest of his clothes back on without verbal complaint.

Albel rolled on to his back and looked at Cliff without saying anything. He finally got out of bed. Cliff looked at the length of him. He really did have a lovely body. He had a sudden gorgeous vision of Albel in some kind of fetish clothes—like maybe a maid outfit or a nurse outfit. Not that the other would wear something like that—ever—but it was still a pleasing thought. Albel looked at him. "If you're going to watch, you could at least stop drooling," he said flatly.

Cliff licked his lips. As he passed by Albel, he groped his bare ass. To Albel's scowl, he said, "Sorry; you're hot." He glanced back at him with a smirk. Albel was looking down. Something about his face… Cliff peered closer. He was blushing! Cliff grinned. He looked… Or maybe in a wedding gown? Albel in a white gown was an appealing thought—blushing bride and all that. He would totally skewer him if he knew what he was thinking. Fortunately for Cliff's health, mind reading was not an ability the other had.

"Stop staring," he repeated, his face getting redder by the minute.

"But you look _cute_ when you're blushing."

His hand came out of no where and the blow stung, but it had been worth it. "Get out," he snapped. Cliff laughed and kissed Albel's unrelenting lips before he left the room.

Breakfast was taken in the town square. Maria and Cliff sat together, discussing things about the _Diplo_. Nel and Fayt sat together and conversed about the Marquis. Albel wandered off to some unknown destination without eating.

As the meal drew to a close, they realized that Albel hadn't returned yet. "Where'd Albel go?" Fayt wondered, looking around as if the swordsman would appear by wondering about him—sort of like the devil.

Nel took a sip of tea. "I think he wandered over to the west side of town."

Maria sighed. "I guess we have to find him."

Fayt crossed his arms. "Right. I'll be right back."

*Refer to cut scene with Fayt and Albel about why Airyglyph lost the war. Third option*

Albel trailed behind Fayt back to the others and they once more set out to go find Crosell. Fayt told them about the bone flute and they discussed that it might help with the motif that seemed to be a door inside the caves.

Needless to say, this was the first place they went to. Fayt played a song and it opened. Cliff clapped in a sarcastic manner. Fayt scowled at him over his shoulder.

They continued on their merry way. Well, no one was exactly "merry," actually. Nel was irritated, Maria was annoyed, and Cliff's opinion of the whole matter would require censors. Albel was actually in a fairly good mood—likely having to do with the previous day's activities—not that anyone noticed any real difference except that he seemed to have a bit more energy than most everyone else. Fayt was the only one who was naturally energetic and upbeat as always—even after the little rabbit creature told them that they needed to go all the way back to Airyglyph to get something the rabbit—Vanilla--needed to make them a ring of disintegration.

They needed this ring to get to Crosell so nothing could be done about it. Cliff complained all the way back. Fayt joined in his complaining and the two ended up bantering back and forth about all the backtracking they had to do. By the time the weary, footsore group got there, no one really wanted to go hunting through the aqueducts to find the item. Fayt, as usual, volunteered despite this communal weariness. Maria decided to go with him, and Nel went along to act as healer—leaving Albel and Cliff alone. Neither of them said anything, but the second the other two were out of sight, they looked at each other. Cliff tilted his head toward the stairs suggestively.

Albel considered—but only briefly. He marched up the stairs to their room and immediately began stripping off his clothes. Cliff walked in and shut the door, wondering if he should comment about how Albel needed to shut doors _before_ he started stripping. Upon seeing Albel's gloriously naked body, he thought better of it. The man was an exhibitionist by nature—what did he care anyway? Cliff would just be wasting his breath trying to reprimand him.

When Cliff was too slow removing his clothes, the swordsman helped. By "helped," that meant "impatiently ripped off Cliff's clothes, nearly tearing them in the process and then throwing them on the floor heedlessly." Cliff opened his mouth to yell at him about respecting other people's property, but Albel tackled him, throwing all of his weight into the tackle, knocking him off of his feet, and on to the bed behind him. Albel landed on top of him, kissing him, licking him, and in all other manners, generally molesting him.

They had to be quick about it because there was no telling when the others would get back—which was horribly unfortunate, but such is life. They had a brief discussion in between breaths and kisses about how to make it shorter. The conclusion was to suck each other almost to climax and then to fuck.

Albel twisted around and pulled Cliff's manhood in to his mouth with his teeth, nibbling slightly. Cliff lifted the others hips. Albel stopped moving until Cliff resituated him. He moaned when Cliff took him in his mouth too. Cliff ran his tongue along Albel, pulling at the foreskin a little with his teeth, sucking on the head. He stopped only to lubricate his fingers, then began again. He pushed his fingers inside Albel and matched the pace to his mouth. Albel groaned, and then gagged as Cliff scraped the back of his throat. He took a deep breath, preparing for what he had in mind, then pushed his head farther along Cliff, swallowing hard. He gagged. Cliff froze, moaning past the appendage in his mouth. Cliff felt precum dribble in his mouth and slide down his throat.

They weren't going to make it to the fucking—it seemed okay though. Cliff pushed farther back. He heard the other gag again, then choke. Albel moved his head back, breathing hard. They both came, and not a single drop spilled. Albel swallowed some of his saliva and rolled off of Cliff, trying to catch his breath. His windpipe felt a bit abused, but it had been well-worth it.

Cliff wanted some water. The taste of cum wasn't one of the most appealing tastes he had ever had, even if it had been from one of the more appealing men he had ever had. Cliff wiped at his mouth a little, even though it was unnecessary; it was subconscious. He stretched and began putting his clothes back on.

"I'm going to get some water. You want anything?"

Albel opened his mouth to reply, then shut it when he heard people walking up the stairs. He immediately flew out of bed and started pulling on his clothes. Cliff, who was already dressed, realized what he had heard and stepped outside, deciding to detain the others.

He met them at the top of the stairs. "So, how did it go?" he asked.

Fayt held up the item—which didn't look nearly as impressive as it should, taking in to consideration all the trouble they had gone through to get it. "All that for _this_." He yawned. It had been a long day. "We're gonna head out in the morning."

Cliff sighed. All this _time_ that they had wasted. How much more were the Vendeeni going to give them to regroup? "Right."

"I think I'll go to bed early in preparation for tomorrow," Fayt said. He walked past Cliff in to the room. He tried to pretend that there was nothing weird about Albel putting his clothes back on. Fayt set his sword down and kicked off his shoes. He sniffed the air. Yep, they had been doing _something_. He could smell it. Hopefully, the girls didn't come in here—that'd be awkward. He still could barely contain his jealousy though. Was it strange that he wanted to be involved too? Maybe they could… No, these walls were thin and they needed the rest besides. Damn, but he was envious and felt like he had missed something.

Cliff walked inside in a few minutes. There was a brief moment of awkward silence. The blonde handed Albel a glass of water. A private look passed between them that Fayt was a little jealous of. The three different species went to bed early, in separate beds mind you, after goodnight kisses (and brief molestations) were exchanged.

Albel woke up first and spent the remainder of the night sharpening his sword as he considered the past few days' events. Cliff woke around dawn and went to the bakery to get something for everyone to eat. He ended up meeting Nel there, so they walked back together.

Cliff and Nel brought a couple pies and a few other things. Everyone else waited for them at the lobby area. Fayt and Maria chatted casually and Albel stared out the window at the snow. In Fayt's opinion, one would think he had seen enough snow in his life that he wouldn't go out of his way to stare at it, but there he was.

The pair with the food set it down at the table and began dividing up the food. "Albel, if you don't take your food, I will!" Cliff called cheerfully. The other stalked over to the table, picked up the plate, and walked outside. Fayt rolled his eyes and took a bite of pie.

"The food here tastes different," Maria commented.

Cliff smiled sardonically. "It's called 'natural,' girl. No additives, no hormones."

"Hmm," she mused, chewing.

Fayt decided that he wasn't particularly hungry. He finished off the pie and stretched his back. One of his legs brushed against Cliff's. Some colour rose to his cheeks. He hid the blush with a hand and a fake yawn. He got up. "I'm going outside," he decided. He hurried out the door. He expected to see Albel sitting outside picking at the plate alone, but he didn't see him. Not immediately, anyway.

Fayt cocked his head to the side, and a smile snaked its way unbidden across his face. Well, there was a sight he had never thought he would see. Albel was kneeling down at eye-level to two Glyphian children, giving his portion to them. One of them, the boy, looked at him in a way akin to hero worship. The boy had a big grin on his face and he said something Fayt couldn't hear from this distance. Albel smiled crookedly and said something back. The kid's smile widened.

The swordsman spoke again. Even straining, Fayt still couldn't hear it. The two kids ran off. Albel stood up and turned around. When he saw Fayt, his eyes widened a little in horror; after all, the Earthling had seen him acting like a half-decent person.

Fayt smiled adoringly. "You have a heart after all," he commented. His voice was so syrupy sweet that it was sickening.

Albel sneered. "Idiot." But he walked over to Fayt anyway.

The blue-haired Earthling couldn't help but continue to smile and it only made Albel feel more and more embarrassed—and he felt more and more like smacking him across the face too. "It's sweet."

The other scowled. "You really are an idiot." Then he sighed and glanced back the way the children had run off. "They were almost starved to death."

The smile faded from Fayt's face as he realized how bad it really was here. Albel wasn't exaggerating. That conversation he had had with the soldier floated back to the forefront of his mind. Aquaria was a lush land, and the people there really didn't know what it was like to be hungry—a "carrot" in front of the horse, as it were. A plum they couldn't resist. Fayt thought of those two children. "Starving" he had said. Literally, to death. Could Fayt really be mad at Albel and the other Glyphians for pressing the war? He didn't like the idea, but…

He was pushed from his thoughts when Albel grabbed his arm. "You're shivering; go back inside." He shoved him toward the door. Fayt snatched Albel's wrist and pulled him inside with him. No one saw the brief, private moment when they looked at each other as they stepped through the door.

After breaking their fast, the group headed back to the lava caves and Vanilla made them their ring. They then went on their merry way again.

*refer to cut scene with Crosell up until they ride the dragon back to Aquios.*

The group wandered off separately while the Thunder Arrow was being loaded on the dragon's back. Fayt went to speak with everyone—they mostly had feelings of apprehension layered on top of hope. He went back to watch the goings-on with the dragon.

*refer to long cut scene*

Fayt wondered what that had been all about. A new weapon? What could have done that? Two of the Vendeeni ships had been destroyed—which was good news, but… it did mean that something bigger was out there. He had a really bad feeling about it.

However, it was time to leave this world and get on the _Diplo_. Fayt was anxious to rescue his father and Sophia. Now, they finally had a chance. As they were getting off Crosell, Fayt saw Albel stalk off alone. He glanced over his shoulder once to glare at Cliff and Fayt, then disappeared. At first, Fayt puzzled over it, but then realized that he was angry that they were leaving. Fayt almost smiled at that, but then the direness of the situation caught up with him; they needed to leave.

They were teleported up to the _Diplo_. Fayt wondered if he would miss Elicoor. Probably—the air smelled good here, and the world was so beautiful and unpolluted. Not to mention that he would miss Nel and Albel. _Particularly Albel_. Fayt's thoughts strayed to the types of things they had done together—all the kisses, the caresses, and especially the sex.

Oh, well. That was that then. Of course… Fayt glanced at Cliff. … Fayt still had Cliff—for however much longer. Like he had realized long before, it couldn't last. But he could enjoy it while it did.

There were some initial greetings from some of Maria's crew. One of them had an obnoxious voice, but Fayt supposed that he could deal with it. They talked for a while about the attack, trying to figure out what had caused it. However, it apparently came from "out of nowhere" because every other significant government had no knowledge of it—not the Federation, certainly not the Vendeeni, and not Aldian either. Fayt's head swam with the implications.

Maria apparently knew where his father was being held captive, and they set coordinates for the planet. Fayt felt a little apprehensive about the whole thing. So far, every plan they had made had gone astray. He wondered if this one would too.

He didn't have to wonder long.

The _Aquaelie_ was fast approaching—a Federation battleship. It wasn't just any ship either; it was the battleship of Commodore Wittcomb. _What could they want?_

The Commodore sent in a transmission. He and Maria exchanged civil greetings before getting down to business. Basically, the Commodore told them not to attack the incoming Vendeeni battleship, because he didn't believe the other would attack.

Sure enough, the Vendeeni sent the _Diplo_ a transmission. The Vendeeni were far less social than Wittcomb. Biwig, the Vendeeni captain, was a rather rude official. Not only that, he was unreasonable. He demanded Fayt in exchange for Dr. Leingod and Sophia. He called Leingod an "enemy of the galaxy." Fayt wondered what he meant by that.

The connection terminated after the demands were made clear. Maria looked stressed, and who could blame her? The responsibility all fell upon her. They contacted the _Aquaelie _again and exchanged words with the Commodore once more. He agreed to provide back-up and whatnot.

By the end of the entire exchange, the idea was that they would exchange Fayt for Robert and Sophia at the Kirlsa Training Facility. It was ironic that it was a place they had been to before—so at least they had that much in their favour—provided that they could think of some kind of plan soon.

Fayt was understandably worried about his father, Robert, and Sophia. Maria tried to reassure him, but he didn't feel very reassured about the whole thing. Something just didn't sit quite right.

They prepared a team and teleported them down to the roof of the training facility. Fayt glanced up. On the wall, he thought he saw a person, but wasn't quite certain.

*Refer to game up until _Albel_ destroys the transport jammer, gets shot, Robert dies, and they get back to _Diplo_.*

Fayt stared at the body he once knew to be his father. How many people had he seen die since this whole mess? Ameena, Dion, countless others, and now his father too? At least Albel would be all right.

Although, it was really all Fayt's fault—wasn't it? It was his fault that so many people had died so far—and his father was going to explain to them about the genetic engineering. In fact, they had come so close to learning about it. At least, he left them with one clue: His research lab at Moonbase. Getting there in the _Diplo_ might be an issue, but Fayt was sure that Maria would find a way.

Fayt couldn't help being depressed about all the deaths that he felt to be the cause of, and seeing his father die, but… At least Sophia was all right—and Albel would live too. He should be happy about that. And, granted, he was, but the sadness outweighed the joy for now. Hopefully… just for now.

Albel happened to walk in after they were done discussing their plans to head to Moonbase—and was all up for coming with them. Cliff was none too sure about it—not that he didn't think Albel couldn't contribute to the cause, or because he thought he would be in the way, but because he was from an underdeveloped planet. Bringing him along to something as advanced as Moonbase might be… Well, he had already seen the _Diplo_ and had taken all of the technology in stride as if it were only natural. It would probably all be fine.

Fayt was happy to bring along Albel—they could use him, and besides… Fayt still wanted him in bed. He felt a little put-out that Cliff and Albel had had sex more often than he had with the swordsman. He had nothing on him and Cliff though. Fayt felt mildly pleased about that, but he still felt jealous. He would have to get over that.

But there was no time for that right now; they received an invitation from Wittcomb to come over to the _Aquaelie _for a discussion. Maria took him up on the offer and everyone teleported over to the Federation battleship.

Fayt would have expected Maria and Cliff to be more apprehensive but they were as relaxed as ever. Fayt had to admit that he felt a little more comfortable back with the familiar Federation than with the Klausians in the _Diplo_.

Commodore Wittcomb had some disturbing news indeed.

*Refer to gameplay again for that scene.*

If Fayt hadn't been sitting down, he might have fallen over. Earth's planetary defense shields hadn't been enough for it. And that was only a warning shot…! What could an all-out attack do if that was nothing more than a declaration of war?

Not only that, planets were being attacked now and people were getting killed… again. And Fayt was a weapon? He could help? If he could, he certainly wanted to. They needed to get to Moonbase. Wittcomb agreed to take them.

In the meantime, they had a pretty long span of downtime. Everyone sort of wandered off. Fayt did the same, then decided to go talk to the others. Maria was looking up any information she could about Moonbase, and shared it with him. It was interesting, but not exactly what they needed to know.

Fayt almost went in to his room, but then walked past it. He went to see Cliff. Stereotypically, he didn't knock and simply walked in. Albel was in the room, sprawled lazily in the chair. By the wisps of conversation that Fayt picked up, Albel was trying to convince him to have sex with him. Perfect timing then!

"I agree with Albel," Fayt put in.

Cliff scowled. "What if someone walks in—like you just did?" he demanded, crossing his arms. It was almost intimidating—"almost," because Fayt knew how sensitive his skin could be to some things.

The youth looked behind him at the door. "Doesn't it lock?"

"No."

Fayt frowned in thought. "Well, I doubt anyone will come in here. If they want to contact you, it's much easier to use the intercom."

Cliff made a face. "Then why didn't you?"

Fayt blinked in surprise. "Well, that's because…"

Albel was up and out of the chair before he finished the sentence. He didn't say anything, but he immediately stuck his hand down Fayt's pants. Fayt yelped in surprise. Albel chuckled and nibbled the lobe of his ear. "This is why," Albel finished for him, because Fayt suddenly forgot what he was talking about.

"Then why don't _you two_ go to one of your rooms," Cliff advised. They both stared at Cliff—Fayt pleadingly and Albel flatly. Yeah, he hadn't thought so. "Fine." Cliff sat down in the chair Albel had been sitting in. He gestured to the bed. "You two have sex then. I'll watch."

Albel snorted. Fine. He'd make it so… _engaging_ that Cliff couldn't help but join in. He instructed Fayt to take off his clothes. Albel continued molesting him while he tried to—it was a major distraction but it also spurred him to move faster.

Fayt impatiently pulled at Albel's' clothing, trying to remember how the shirt came off. He suddenly remembered and found the little hooks in the side. He pulled them apart, but hesitated at his collar. How the hell did _that_ come off? He didn't see any mechanism for opening it, but he had seen Albel without it, so it must… But how? Albel sighed and did something to the front of it. It swung open on hidden hinges. He dropped it on the floor with a loud, resounding thunk. It nearly hit Fayt in the foot. He imagined that if it didn't break his toes, it'd hurt pretty badly anyway.

Albel shrugged out of his shirt. It slipped to the floor amidst the other scattered clothing. While he did that, Fayt untied the knot that kept Albel's skirt in place. All of it fell to the floor around his ankles. Cliff watched on in rapt attention.

Albel shoved Fayt on to the bed, simultaneously kicking off his shoes.

"I don't want cum all over the bed," Cliff reminded them. Albel growled at him, but otherwise didn't respond. Fayt would have replied, except that Albel shoved his fingers in to his mouth and he couldn't. Fayt dutifully lathered Albel's fingers sufficiently. The Elicoorian pulled his fingers out of the Earthling's mouth and roughly shoved one inside a different orifice.

Albel glanced at Cliff, then looked back at Fayt. The Klausian moved to watch at a better angle. Cliff observed as Albel, ever impatient, decided that Fayt was prepared enough. Fayt flinched at seeing what the Elicoorian was about to do. Cliff decided to intervene; things would progress more efficiently that way. He walked over to Albel and picked him up, away from Fayt. The Earthling bit down on his lip to keep from laughing.

Albel glared at Cliff. Cliff turned him around and lifted Albel nearly over his head completely. He pulled him in to his mouth with his teeth, practically drooling over him to coat him as much as possible. He felt Albel's fingers curl in his hair loosely. After that was done, he set him back down, tousling his long hair affectionately. He sat back down to continue watching. Albel moved back to take Fayt. Entry was a little easier than it would have been without Cliff's assistance. It still wasn't too smooth; Fayt twisted and flinched a bit before he got used to it.

Albel nibbled on Fayt's nipples. He didn't think that Fayt was the sort to appreciate Albel's more eclectic tastes, so he let it be rather than make his uke uncomfortable. If Fayt got turned off, this wouldn't be so agreeable.

Cliff was rather enjoying watching his two ukes. He had thought that if it were just the two of them that Albel would play the role of seme, but at the same time, he hadn't been too sure. Albel had enjoyed being _his_ uke, after all, but Fayt didn't seem confident enough to be on top. He was more innocent than he had a right to be.

"Don't be too loud either," Cliff reminded them.

Fayt scowled, then groaned when Albel jerked his hips experimentally, to see if Fayt was ready. He apparently was. "You're…" He gasped. "Cliff, you're making me…" He choked back a cry. "… Making me feel… like a porn star..." he complained.

_Live porn,_ Cliff thought. _About right_. Props might be good. Like a gag to keep Albel quiet. He'd look pretty cute with a ball gag, maybe a chain on that collar… He remembered Albel back in the dungeon. _Hmm_… Fayt was a little too innocent-looking for that; he wouldn't look as sexy; just innocent and cute. Maybe silk rope or blindfolds for Fayt. He made a mental note to try it sometime—at least with Albel. Fayt might be put off by the idea, but one never knows.

Fayt held on to Albel while he pounded in to him. Cliff leaned forward, trying to get a good look. He felt his penis stretch. Maybe he should join… He tilted his head to get a better look at Albel's ass, watching the muscles flex and relax briefly. He liked the way his thighs tightened and the muscles in his arms moved. Fayt looked lovely lying there moaning, back arching, all he could do to keep up with Albel.

Yep, time to join. Cliff hurried out of his clothes and cast them aside in the pile on the floor. The other two were so interested in each other that neither noticed, so it came as a complete surprise to Albel when he felt Cliff climb on top of him. He grunted when Cliff pushed himself in to his unprepared hole. It was a little rough on Cliff too, but it hurt Albel more; he knew that the Elicoorian wouldn't mind overmuch. He shifted, waiting, gently moving with Albel's suddenly slower pace, trying not to put too much weight on to Albel because Fayt was under him, looking up at both of them. Fayt leaned up, nuzzling his face against Albel's neck, kissing his neck, then glanced up at Cliff. Cliff leaned down, meeting his lips with his.

Albel's tongue trailed along Cliff's neck, he bit his earlobe, tugging gently, reminding him. Cliff broke the kiss, kissed Albel briefly and steadied himself before he worked at pleasuring the other two—primarily the Elicoorian though. Fayt's back arched. He ground his hips against Albel. Albel probably had it the best; two people pleasuring him. However, it also meant he had two people to please, but he was up to the task… in more ways than one.

Fayt's arms wrapped around Albel's neck, bringing him down closer. They leaned in for a kiss. Cliff gripped Albel's hips and ground in to him. He gasped. Their lips brushed. A sound like a door opening was heard.

All three of them stopped. Fayt really didn't want to look. He _really_ didn't want to know _who_ had just walked in and saw them. But he turned his head, because the other two were staring and they had rather ill-at-ease facial expressions. The awkward silence filled the room to the brim and threatened to spill, as it were.

It was Sophia.

Her jaw moved slightly for a moment, then her legs wobbled. She hit the corner of the door, then slithered to the floor, unconscious. The door shut automatically behind her.

The three of them didn't move. Gods! _Now_ what would they do?

Fayt looked at the two pinning him down, eyes wide. "What do we _do_?" he hissed.

Albel looked back at Sophia. "I suppose, if you really don't want anyone to know--"

"No," Cliff said with finality before he finished. He knew that what Albel had in mind probably involved homicide. He climbed off and sat down, staring at the unconscious girl's body. It did leave them with quite a problem though. "Er…" No brilliant plan came to mind, not even a hunch.

Fayt shoved Albel off of him and flew to his clothes lying on the floor. He pulled on most of his outfit and picked up Sophia. He hurried to her room, avoiding anyone he saw by hiding in other rooms or any other object he could hide behind. Sophia stayed unconscious—which was good. He finally made it to her room and tucked her in to bed. Hopefully, she would assume it was some crazy dream.

He almost decided to forget about finishing up with Cliff and Albel, but then he realized that he had left his sword in there. He sighed and walked back to Cliff's room.

"… I wonder what she wanted anyway," Cliff was saying. He was sitting on the bed, leaning against the wall. Albel was sprawled lazily on the bed in front of him, his left arm hanging off of the bed limply, still encased in the gauntlet. The weight of it threatened to drag him to the floor after it. They were both still naked and didn't seem to care. The door slid closed behind Fayt.

Fayt crossed his arms. "Well, now what?" he demanded.

The other two had no opinion on what to do about the matter. Albel insisted that they should continue where they left off, but Cliff and Fayt were no longer in the mood, so it spoiled his plans.

"Maybe she won't remember," Cliff said hopefully.

Fayt clung to that hope. "I put her in her bed, so even if she does remember, maybe she'll just think she was having a… dream." He almost said "nightmare," but decided that it might offend the other two.

Cliff nodded. "Right." He stretched. "We'll, I'm gonna go to sleep." He stared at Fayt and Albel. Fayt took the hint and grabbed his things and left for his own room. Albel continued lying on his bed. Cliff kicked him lightly in the shoulder. The other slid a little closer to the floor. "Get up and leave."

Albel looked up at him without saying anything. He pushed himself in to Cliff's lap, and drew his now limp member in to his mouth. Cliff started to protest, but the protest died on his tongue with the movements of the other's tongue. He groaned, his fingers weaving in to Albel's hair. He had a desire to make his hair a tangled mess. He stiffened, gripping Albel's hair. The other gasped in surprise when Cliff yanked his head up, pushing himself to the back of Albel's throat. He knew he could do it. Albel gagged twice, took a deep breath, and swallowed.

When Albel could stand it no longer, he pushed Cliff's hand away and tilted his head back. Cliff slid out of the other's mouth. The swordsman straddled him, positioning him with one hand, his left arm on Cliff's shoulder to help balance himself. He slid down on him, a sigh escaping his lips.

"Make it quick, okay?" Cliff breathed, worried that another "Sophia incident" might occur. It was unlikely, but he wasn't willing to risk it.

"Mmm," Albel sighed in agreement. He needed to go to sleep too. Another long day awaited them tomorrow. He slid on Cliff, pressed against him body, wrapped in his muscular arms. He arched his back, twisting his hips a little. Cliff tasted his exposed neck and gently bit him. Albel gasped softly. He nibbled along his neck, up to the place where his neck joined his head. He latched his mouth there, sucking hard. Albel tilted his neck for easier access, moving on top of him. Cliff pulled away, his hands roving over his body. He gripped Albel's hips and lifted him, almost completely off of him before he dropped him back down. He slid down to the base. Cliff jerked his hips. The other let out a sharp, stifled cry.

Cliff's grip on Albel tightened, pinning him down on him. He shifted his position slightly to accommodate what he had in mind. Continuing to pin the other down, he slid in and out of him. Albel tried to move, to continue to do the work, but the way he was pinned, couldn't. Cliff saw the tormented frustration in his eyes, and also the delight that he couldn't do it. _Masochist._

Cliff drew completely out of him, then slammed in to him with such force that Albel actually jumped, then settled on him. Cliff's grip slackened to allow Albel to move. He didn't waste his newfound freedom; he twisted his hips, grinding against him. He arched his back, pushing as much of his lover in to him as he could. Sweat glistened on his chest. In an effort to devour Cliff, he tilted back until the back of his head touched the bed, his back arched, his legs wrapped around Cliff.

The blonde moaned, then gasped when Albel made a quick jerking movement with the aid of his thighs. Albel moved against him like that. He felt the climax approaching. His fingers curled around Albel's throbbing erection. His thumb found the vein at the base. He massaged it with his thumb, keeping a grip on him the entire time. With his other hand, he gently kneaded his testicles. Albel groaned, making the jerking movement again that felt so euphoric. The swordsman's entire body was trembling; he must be nearing climax too. Good.

Twenty seconds, a minute, an hour—it was all lost in an abyss of pleasure. The only thing that mattered were the senses—sight—

Cliff gripping Albel. The swordsman pushing himself against him.

--sound—

Albel's moan escalated in to a sharp cry. Cliff's groan gave way to deep pants as he tried to catch his breath.

--smell—

The smell of sweat permeated the air. They could even smell Fayt's sweat in the bed with them, mingling with the fresher sweat of the other two.

--and touch—

Cliff felt hot inside Albel, and hotter still when he arched his back a little more, clenching around him. Albel could feel sweat drip over his bare leg from Cliff's back. He slid against the sweat. It was getting difficult to hold the position.

--and after one white-hot moment of release, all that really mattered was that it ended.

They laid together in a mess of sticky, sweaty limbs, kissing, gasping for air, but still unwilling to part. It crossed both their minds: It was a shame that Fayt wasn't here too.

Albel eventually slid out of bed, still panting a little. Cliff looked up at him and couldn't help grinning. His hair—what wasn't tied—was a tangled mess indeed. Albel took a long, deep breath before he started dressing. He left without saying a word. Cliff frowned. Well, that made him feel a bit used. He could have at least left a tip. He laughed to himself.

He climbed out of bed, stretching. He stared at the blanket. It was covered in semen and sweat. He yanked off the top layer of blankets, hoping that it hadn't sunk through. If it did, he was going to make Albel sleep in here.

Cliff was almost disappointed when he saw that it hadn't.

It just so happened that Albel passed by Maria on his way back to his room. She paused upon seeing him—flushed, sweaty, with his hair matted.

"What were you _doing_?" she wondered quizzically.

Albel blinked slowly, deciding if he felt like answering. Oh, why not? "Sparring with Cliff and Fayt," he said carefully. It wasn't _exactly_ a lie.

She stared at his matted hair for a moment. "Hmm. Maybe you should go comb your hair."

He snorted indignantly and continued on his way.


	10. Chapter 10

Unfortunately, there's no sex in this chapter. Just some angst.

No rights, as usual.

**Chapter Ten**

_Dilemma_

After a long voyage, they finally set foot on Moonbase. Because of the shields, they couldn't be teleported directly to the lab, so they had to walk to it. The circus performers were there, among some other people. Fayt noticed that Sophia had grown strangely distant since the "incident" but she never mentioned it. Come to think of it, she avoided the male half of the party completely, particularly Fayt. He didn't like that very much, but he might feel the same way if… "_No, don't even go there!"_ he internally screamed at himself. But it was too late. The image already arrived. His mouth twisted. His left eye twitched and his fingers curled much like a bird's around a tree branch. Cliff was the only one who saw the look. The expression that dawned Cliff's face spoke without words and it said, "What the fuck?"

Fayt immediately had to think about Cliff. He studied Cliff's body thoroughly. When that wasn't enough, he looked at Albel. Albel noticed him staring and frowned at him in confusion. Maria and Sophia were talking about something ahead of them and didn't see any of this.

Fayt's gaze went back to Cliff, then to Albel again. He took a long, deep sigh and continued. Fortunately, he found both of the other's bodies interesting enough to banish the image that had so disturbed him.

The writer is certain that the reader must be curious as to what the image was. Well, it involved Sophia… and Maria… and also Nel... in a similar predicament as what the yaoi threesome were in when Sophia walked in on them. However, this is not a yuri fic, so that is as much detail as you get.

Fayt was not interested in lesbians. He had always considered himself a guy-on-girl kind of guy. Well, how that had changed! All the same, yuri didn't appeal to him.

Cliff and Albel looked at each other, shared confusion evident on their faces. "_What?" _ Albel mouthed, pointing at Fayt incredulously.

The blonde shrugged his shoulders in a helpless gesture, shaking his head. "_No idea," _he mouthed back.

Cliff was amazed that Albel had gotten all the knots and tangles out of his hair and still managed to look rested when they arrived.

They didn't come far though, before Fayt got hit with a rock.

"Learn to dodge, fool," Albel said. It sounded like instructions to Fayt.

It ended up being Peppita, from back at Hyda, who had thrown the rock. He was more than a little surprised to see her. After a brief reunion, they shooed her away and continued ever onwards to the base.

Much to most everyone's chagrin, Peppita showed up later too and demanded to accompany them through Moonbase. Fayt caved in to her demands, much to most everyone else's displeasure. As they were walking, Peppita looked at everyone she didn't know, making assumptions about them based on their demeanors and clothing in a typical childlike, bias kind of way.

She thought she saw something and peered closely at Albel, frowning. "You have a hickey on your neck!" she squeaked, pointing when she realized what it was. It was right above the collar, and in plain sight if anyone actually looked; barely hidden by his hair. Peppita had seen it when he turned his head a little to look at something. Peppita looked around at any possible suspects as to whose lips planted the hickey. Her gaze fell to Maria, as she knew that Sophia was more interested in Fayt and she didn't even consider the real culprit. Yaoi was not something that her child's mind yet wholly fathomed. She grinned and nudged Albel in the arm. "So, who's the lucky lady?" she asked coyly, peering up at him. No reply was forthcoming, so she made one herself. She obviously didn't know Albel well enough yet to know when to keep her mouth shut. "It must be Maria, right?" she said, pointing at Miss Traydor.

Maria's mouth moved but no sound was forthcoming. She had such a look of horror on her face that it was worth photographing. What she _wanted_ to say was something along the lines of "I'm not interested in cross-dressers" but she was so shocked and appalled at the very idea that she couldn't speak.

Sophia's face first turned white with shock, then a sickly green as the implications reached her brain like blood spilling over a clean white tablecloth. _Maybe I _wasn't_ dreaming…_

Maria turned on her heel and started marching away rather than continue gaping at Peppita, who she was quickly growing to dislike intensely. Fayt was quick to follow her. _He _certainly knew how that hickey had gotten there. He glanced at Cliff as he walked by him, but nothing more. Peppita followed Fayt. Sophia picked up the pace to walk beside Maria—and away from the male half of the party. Albel glared at Cliff until it became uncomfortable and Cliff followed the rest of the group. Albel trailed behind as usual.

And so the plot thickens with the discord amongst the party members…

They ran in to a boss battle, and after that, they entered the lab. After a brief search, they found precisely what they were looking for. Much to Sophia's growing horror, she was also a member of the experiments performed on Maria and Fayt. They also discovered why this was so—and it had to do with the attack on Earth.

It was all a little over-the-top and unbelievable, but after all they had faced so far, it wasn't too hard to swallow. Apparently, the three were vital to save their universe from a "4-D being" known as "the Creator." Naturally, their conclusion was to go to the planet Styx, where the scientists first discovered this and where the Time Gate they had discovered it from stood in the hopes of finding more information, going to the 4-D universe and ultimately stopping "the Creator."

They headed back to the _Aquaelie._ Fayt almost brought Peppita along with them, but he happened to get a really good look at all the disapproving glares he was receiving from the other party members and told her to stay with her troupe. She agreed, but was a bit put-out. Fayt wondered why it was _his_ decision anyway. If the others had simply voiced their opinions and such, he could have avoided the guilty feeling that Peppita's pouting face filled with destroyed hope had given him. She had really wanted to help.

Onboard the ship, they received the news that more planets and whatnot had been destroyed while they were gathering information at Moonbase. Regardless, in light of the situation at hand, they headed to Planet Styx post haste.

Sophia went directly to her room and stayed locked inside. Never again would she open a door before knocking. She still wasn't entirely sure that it had really happened; one hickey was hardly proof and she had woken up in her bed after all. It could always be some sick dream. But if it was a dream, what did that say about _her_? She wasn't sure if she wanted it to be a real memory or a dream with that in mind.

Maria, for one, simply didn't care. She didn't care what Albel did in his own time so long as he wasn't being obnoxious or troublesome in any way and him having hickeys was no concern of hers by any means; she just didn't like being accused of being the culprit. Still, who _had_ given him the hickey? She never looked at it, so she supposed that it could still be from before he had come to the rescue back at the Training Facility. She decided that that must be it; it was the most likely explanation. Satisfied with that answer, she did computer-related things for a while before she went to bed.

The door opened in Cliff's room. Cliff looked up in time to see Albel storm over to him and backhand him. The blonde was growing accustomed to this sort of violence.

"I didn't know you had a hickey!" Cliff complained.

Albel's eyes narrowed into dangerous slits. "Considering that _you_ are the one that put it there, worm, I find that unlikely."

Cliff rolled his eyes. "Fine. Let's go to the sick bay. They can heal bruises there; they can heal the hickey too if it bothers you." The blonde stood up, stretching his back. His shirt stretched a little over his chest, giving Albel a fairly decent view of his torso.

The door opened partway and Fayt stuck his head in. Upon seeing the other two, Fayt came all the way inside and the door shut behind him. He looked none too happy. He crossed his arms. "This has to stop," he said.

Cliff paused mid-stretch. "What?"

He waved his hand around the room. "_This_. The three of us. I mean…" He sighed, flustered. He had composed an entire speech in his head on the walk back from Moonbase and had been rehearsing it up until now. Why couldn't he say the rest of it? Well, what had he meant to say? "Sophia walked in on us…" Fayt gestured to the door. "Peppita noticed a hickey on Albel." He pointed at the hickey in question. The Elicoorian scowled. Fayt crossed his arms. "I don't really want everyone to catch on."

Cliff conceded that Fayt had a point. Oh, what would he ever do if Mirage found this out? He groaned inwardly at _that_ idea. "Yeah…"

Albel looked from one to the other skeptically.

Fayt was relieved that Cliff felt the same way. "Okay. So this stops now."

The Klausian nodded his head slightly. "Right. We've had too many close calls lately. So we'd better cool it for a while."

Albel strode over to Fayt, raised his fist, and punched him in the face as calmly as if he were swatting a fly. Fayt fell back against the wall. The Elicoorian rounded on Cliff, but the blonde caught his hand, and then the other one when that one came up too. In that moment, Albel made a mental note: Attack Cliff first, while he was unsuspecting.

"What the hell!" Fayt demanded, nursing his cheek where he had struck him.

Cliff held Albel out at arm's reach, and not without effort. "What's your deal?" he demanded.

Albel stopped struggling against him, but Cliff knew better than to relax his grip until the other's rage had cooled. "Both of you…!" He wasn't really certain of how to communicate his _real_ feelings. Right now, he was angry because of how pathetic Cliff and Fayt were acting. How strong could they really be if they were afraid of some people finding out? Why was it a big deal? Why couldn't he make them see that being afraid of something like that was silly and childish?

But Cliff and Fayt were adamant. They knew that things could get really awkward if the truth came out. They had friends, coworkers, and the like to deal with. They didn't want to go through their lives with something like _that_ acting as a disturbing barrier between them and the rest of the galaxy.

"I'm going to let go of you now," Cliff said after several seconds had passed by. "If you attack us again, I'm throwing you out in the hallway. Or, you can be civil and we'll talk about what to do." Cliff let go of him. Albel stepped away and sat down on the bed heavily. Cliff sat back down in the chair. Fayt leaned against the wall. There was a long moment of silence in which no one spoke nor looked at each other. Cliff looked from Fayt to Albel. The former seemed to be content to keep his mouth shut and the latter was too angry to speak. He sighed. Looks like it was up to him. "So." Bad start. He tried again. "We have a problem; we need to find a way to be more discreet if we're gonna keep this up."

Albel looked up briefly, then back at the floor. Fayt glanced at Cliff. "Any ideas?"

Cliff picked up his scanner. "Yep." He explained to Fayt that he could put a censor outside the door that would make the scanner alert them to anyone approaching.

"And no more marks," Fayt said.

"Right." Cliff glanced sideways at Albel. "Hey, Albel, how about heading over to the—"

"Both of you are pathetic," he noted.

The other two stuttered a bit in a confused way before Fayt demanded an explanation.

Albel rolled his ruby eyes and looked up at them. He had finally found the right way to word what he really meant and now was as good a time as any. "You're acting cowardly. Who cares if people know? If I were a woman, would either of you be hesitant to be with me? If I were a woman, would either of you care about being secretive?"

"But you're a _man_," Fayt insisted.

The Elicoorian blinked. "And that makes a difference, fool? Why?" His tone was accusatory.

Cliff sighed. He was old enough and wise enough to know and realize that the younger man had an excellent point. But he also knew how to counter it. Why did he feel guilty though? He brushed the feeling aside. "It makes a difference because the other people we interact with will view us and treat us differently." He straightened a little. "Take Sophia for example. After she walked in on us, haven't you noticed that she's been acting strange?" He looked at Fayt for that one.

Fayt nodded. "She's been kind of distant and quiet around me."

Albel snorted. "You can't use her as an example; she's jealous."

Another good point. It's natural that Sophia would act differently; she had liked Fayt, so she might react differently than someone who was indifferent about any of them. Cliff waved the matter aside. He really wanted Albel to be right, but he couldn't let him win the argument; Cliff knew better. "Not the point. It'll change the way people act and behave around and towards us. Do you really think that's a good idea?"

"I don't see why you're worried about it."

But the Klausian knew a good counter to that one too. Some sadistic part of him was anxious to see Albel's reaction to what he would say next. And another part wanted Albel to somehow know how to make everything all right. Fayt wasn't sure who he wanted to win the debate. "What if we were back on Elicoor and… Oh… maybe some of your Black Brigade soldiers saw me fucking you," Cliff said.

Some colour rose to Albel's cheeks and he dropped his head again without saying anything, but at that point, he hardly needed to. Ah, so he finally found a way to hit home. Cliff smiled with satisfaction. A tingling of guilt and—was it disappointment?--welled inside him.

Fayt pursed his lips together. "So, we need to either stop or be more discreet."

The general conclusion was to cool it for a while and be more discreet afterwards. Albel left to go back to his room. Fayt bid Cliff a good night and went to his room. Cliff leaned back in the chair. Maybe he should go see about Albel. He hadn't taken any of that very well, and he wanted them to be on good terms. He sighed, contemplating actually doing that for several minutes and eventually convinced himself that checking on him was the right thing to do—besides, he wanted to make sure Albel went to the doctor and got rid of that hickey.

He walked across the hall to Albel's room, knocked once and entered as he told him to go away. The Glyphian was sitting down on the bed sideways, fiddling with something. "I told you to 'go away,'" he snapped.

The door slid shut. Cliff was still inside the room. He crossed his arms. "I just wanted to make sure that you were all right."

Albel glanced up at him, then back at what he was doing. "I'm fine, maggot."

A brief silence ensued. "So you have no problems with being discreet?"

Another pause, then a shake of his head. "No. I understand your dilemma." He stopped for a moment, then continued. "Just tell me when you're ready to stop living a lie."

Cliff crossed his arms. "But even you conceded the point when I said that about your soldiers."

Another brief pause—not long enough to be uncomfortable, but long enough to be considered longer than a normal gap in conversation. "There's—"

A knock at the door stopped him. It opened and Fayt stepped inside. "Oh… Am I… Interrupting?"

"Yes."

"No," Cliff said. "Anyway, I'm going to bed. Albel, would you go see the doctor about the hickey on your neck?" He left without waiting for a reply.

"What do_ you _want, worm?" Albel demanded testily.

Fayt scowled. "Just to make sure that we were all in agreement."

"I already talked to Cliff about that."

"Oh… Then it's okay?"

"Mm."

Fayt nodded. "All right. I'll leave you alone then." He hesitated, but couldn't think of another reason to stay.

_About time_… the Elicoorian thought.

The blue-haired youth left. He almost returned to his room, but stopped and went to Cliff's instead. Cliff was looking at something on the computer. He turned when Fayt came inside. Fayt didn't say anything, but sat down heavily on the bed. He looked at the blonde Klausian briefly, considering. "You know… Albel has a point."

Cliff leaned back in the chair. "Yeah, I know. But so do we."

"Yeah…"

"What would you do if Sophia and Maria knew—really knew? Sophia doubts what she sees—thanks to you putting her in her bed—but what if she _knew_, y'know?" Cliff waited for Fayt to respond.

The Earthling considered his answer. What _would_ he do? He had known Sophia for a very long time. He certainly didn't want to wreck his relationship with her and he cared about her. But sneaking around wasn't really something he wanted to do either. "I don't know," he finally answered. "Sophia's my friend, and I'd like to keep it that way. But I don't want to pretend I'm not doing something I am either."

Cliff nodded. He felt the same way, but what to do? Well, it's not like they had to come to a conclusion now, and he said so. "Maybe after all this stuff with the Creator is finished, we'll figure something out," he said. That seemed to content Fayt, for the moment, but it did bring other questions to the surface. None of those questions he wanted to address though, so he let it be.

"You're right." He fought back a yawn. "I'm going to sleep. Night." He walked over to Cliff, as casually as ever, and kissed him. He had intended it to be a simple goodnight kiss, a church kiss, but Cliff pulled him down to him and kissed him like he had, what seemed so long ago, back in the mines. Fayt moaned against his mouth. Cliff stood up, lifting Fayt with him. Tongues met, saliva swapped, and breathing deepened with the kiss. It was turning in to the kind of kiss that never ended with just a kiss.

Fayt broke away and shook his head before they got carried away. "No," he said. "Not right now," he insisted. He looked up at Cliff. "Let's get some sleep, all right?"

Cliff sighed noisily and put him down. He supposed that, with all that Fayt had learned, with all that was going on, it was natural for the boy not to have much of a sex drive at the moment. In the face of disaster, Cliff liked to have sex; it helped dull the disaster for him, added some stress-relief to the moment. But Fayt wasn't up for it.

He watched him go. He considered going to Albel with his desires and thought better of it. The other wouldn't be interested either; he had still seemed a little put-out. Besides, he might just end up getting yelled at… considering that they _had_ decided to not do things like that for a while and be more discreet.

Cliff doubted that Albel would go to the doctor on his own. Oh, well. He supposed it wasn't that big of a deal anyway, and it would go away soon on its own. He went back to browsing through the computer's database.

Fayt paused outside of his room, then glanced at Albel's door. He had seemed really put out. He hesitated, then knocked briefly and entered the room.

"What now?" Albel demanded without looking up.

The door slid closed. Fayt glanced nervously around the room. "I just thought… You seem upset." No reply was forthcoming. The Earthling sighed, flustered. He wasn't sure of how to go about this. "Is there anything else you're upset about—or…"

"There's a difference between your subordinates and your friends," Albel pointed out. He looked up. "If Sophia is really your friend, it won't change how she sees you."

"That's easy for you to say," Fayt shot back.

"Because I don't have any friends?"

Fayt paused. That wasn't what he had meant. Besides… he felt mildly offended at that. "I'm not your friend?"

"'Lover' maybe."

The college student couldn't keep the pout off of his face. "Well, I consider you a friend."

"The feeling isn't mutual."

Fayt would have laughed if Albel hadn't been serious. "Oh." He hesitated, then stepped over to him. "Then I'll settle for 'lover.'" He leaned down and kissed Albel on the temple. Albel tilted his head up, pulling Fayt down for a real kiss. A thought occurred to Fayt and it flew out of his mouth before he could censor it. "What happens if I fall in love with either of you?" Albel's mouth stopped moving. Fayt's face flushed. "I mean—Oh, shit. It's that…"

The Elicoorian silenced him with another kiss and then abruptly shoved him away. His gaze held steady, and that, more than what he said next, hurt Fayt. "Sex has nothing to do with love, so don't worry about it."

Maybe Fayt was still just a teenager, but that stung. He fled to his own room. Somehow, he couldn't separate "sex" and "love" in his mind. Could the other two separate it because they were older and knew better? Was Fayt too young to really tell the difference yet? He didn't feel like he loved either of them, but it still seemed wrong to separate the two. Had he just done something to jeopardize his tedious relationship with Albel by saying that? He had half a mind to go see about it now, or talk to Cliff, but he decided to lay the matter to rest instead. Pretend it had never happened. Maybe the other would do the same.

Fayt pulled off most of his clothes and curled up in bed. A million different thoughts and problems flew across his mind. He fell asleep trying to consider each one and failed. There was just too much there to really think about in a short expanse of time.

Albel continued what he had been doing before the other two interrupted—taking off his gauntlet. What Fayt had said before bothered him. He had worried that Fayt was a little too young for this, and now he knew for sure. Fayt was at the age where he fell in love quickly and easily, often unable to tell the difference between lust and love. He'd have to be careful to make that boundary more distinct for him. There shouldn't be any problems, so long as neither of the older two accidentally led him on.

The mangled arm felt sweaty and hot inside the gauntlet and it was uncomfortable. Once he had wrestled the gauntlet off, he set it down on the floor and flopped over on to his side, flexing the ruined fingers. It felt a lot better that way, and he was able to fall asleep relatively quickly.

Fayt woke up to the sound of the alarm he had set. He hit snooze, but didn't fall back asleep. He shut it off and stretched. Why had he set it again? The fog of sleep clouded his reasons for a moment. Ah, a shower! _A shower!_

Almost gleeful, he put on his clothes. First, he needed to _find_ the showers. Maybe he should wake up Cliff and he could wander around with him to find them. He wanted to shower so badly; he was really looking forward to this. The idea of being clean woke him up. He wanted a shower more than he wanted to sleep right now.

He peeked inside Cliff's room. He was awake and moving around. "I'm coming in!" Fayt announced and pushed the door open all the way. Cliff was just slipping in to his shirt. Fayt's eyes trailed around his chest and stomach, then he yanked them away to the other's blue eyes.

"I'm going to the showers… But I don't know where they are. You want to come help me find them?"

Cliff immediately put on his shoes. He liked the idea of a shower just as much as Fayt did. "I don't know where they are either, but we can probably ask someone." They went on their way to go see about it.

Fayt stopped and glanced backwards. "Should we get Albel too?"

The Klausian considered, then grinned. "He's from an underdeveloped planet, which means that they don't have showers. Let's bring him."

Oh, this might be interesting. Fayt looked ahead. There was a patrolling soldier walking by. He almost suggested that Cliff ask the soldier about the showers and leave Albel to Fayt, but he considered his conversation with the other last night and thought better of the idea. Truthfully, he didn't want to be alone with him presently; he felt embarrassed about what he had said last night. "I'll go find out where they are. Could you go get him?"

"Right." They split up to go about their duties. Cliff walked into Albel's room unannounced. He was a bit surprised that Albel was still asleep. He turned the light on. Albel flinched and his eyes flickered open. He turned his head to look at Cliff. He rolled back over, away from him. Ah, so he was still mad.

Cliff's eyes fell to the gauntlet on the floor, then back at Albel. "Hey, get up. We're going to go bathe. You want to come along?"

Albel considered that idea. Washing his hair would be _really_ nice… "Yes." Albel sat up and swung out of the bed. He was completely naked, which didn't surprise Cliff in the least, but it was pleasant. Cliff's eyes trailed along his legs, his torso, then it fell to the left arm and his expression changed. Albel noticed it, and never commented, but he touched it absentmindedly with his other hand. Cliff stepped closer to him, touching the old scars. He lifted his wrist.

"What did you _do_?" Cliff wondered, inspecting the pattern of scars on his arm. He was amazed that the arm wasn't _rotting_, and it was a bloody miracle that he could move it.

"Dragon fire," he muttered.

"What did you _do_ to the dragon to make it mad enough to _barbecue_ you?"

"I didn't do anything, maggot," he insisted.

Cliff found that difficult to believe.

The worst part was his hand. Cliff held it in both of his. Albel had such feminine hands; they were dwarfed in Cliff's. The fingernails didn't grow in very well, there was no fine body hair to speak of, and that wasn't by far the worst part. His index and middle finger looked to have, at one point, melted together and then had to be spliced apart and there were scars from the stitches. Cliff half-expected his skin to crack on contact, but it didn't. There were horrible swirling marks where the skin had melted and then charred. Other places were worse, and some were better.

"Yeah, I'd keep that covered up too," Cliff said, dropping his arm. It was such a shame though. He glanced at his other arm—smooth skin, petite, toned. "If you'd told me about this, I could have fixed it when I cured your illness. If you want, we can go to the medical facilities here and they can probably heal your arm."

Albel glanced down at his left arm, considering the offer. To Cliff's surprise, he shook his head. "No." He turned away and started getting dressed. Cliff left the room. Why _wouldn't_ he want that thing healed? Maybe it held memories for him. Cliff had some scars like that that he had never gotten healed. That had to be it.

The real reason was that Albel thought that he had earned those scars and should bear them as such.

Fayt came trotting down the hall and told Cliff the directions. "Is Albel coming?"

Cliff nodded, a little absently. "Yeah." Just then, the door opened. The warrior had the gauntlet back on. He trailed behind the other two on the way to the showers. Cliff informed Albel about the showers, and even gave a brief history of them, which served to keep the atmosphere more jovial. Fayt wondered as to why Cliff had committed to memory such utterly useless, trivial information. However, upon considering that answer, he determined that it was probably in his best interest to not know.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

_The Fourth Dimension_

The showers were typical military-grade—which meant that it was nothing fancy, and also that it was all rather open. The floor was wet, so someone had been in there before them. Fayt recalled that the person he had spoken to had told them that all the soldiers onboard had gotten up much earlier and had already showered before they relieved the other soldiers, so they could expect no one to come in.

Fayt wasn't sure how he felt about that exactly. They had all agreed to be more discreet and "cool it" for a while. All the same… Because of the obvious implications that they could very well have another sexual encounter here, undressing was more self-conscious than it needed to be. Fayt just hurried out of his clothes to the shower. Cliff had beat him to it. Albel glanced at the other two, and down at his left arm. Baths were easy; he could just keep it out of the water, but not a shower. It would get wet, and he really didn't want it to get rusty… Ah, hell. They both had seen his arm anyway. He pulled off the gauntlet and followed the others inside.

"Not very flexible, are ya, Fayt?" Cliff teased upon seeing Fayt trying to scrub his back. Fayt sighed, flustered, water dribbling down his face, dripping from his hair.

"Well, you could do it," he said, his tone bordering on suggestive. It didn't work for him, and he realized it right after he said it. When Cliff started laughing, he rolled his eyes and tried to do it himself, but then Cliff pulled the soap out of his hand and turned him around.

"You can get my back too," Cliff said in a fake suggestive voice meant to mock Fayt. Fayt stomped on his foot with his heel. The blonde only laughed again. As Cliff scrubbed Fayt's lower back, a mischievous grin spread across his face. Albel happened to be looking, so saw the expression. Their eyes met. Cliff gestured to Fayt with his free hand in such a way as that the Earthling didn't see it. Albel caught the meaning, and his lips curved into a slow, sly smile. Fayt was looking down and didn't see any of the exchanges the other two made.

Cliff pulled his hand with the soap away and used his other hand to massage Fayt's shoulders and neck. He leaned down a little, quickly slipping the hand with the soap between the Earthling's legs, up, and…

Fayt yelped, jumping out of the way. He spun around, his back to the wall, face flushed crimson from more than just the heat. "Cliff!"

"I thought the soap could act as a lubricant," he said, advancing on him.

If it was possible, Fayt's face got even redder. He felt his ears burn. "I thought we all agreed that…"

Albel was suddenly there too, closing in on the other side. "But no one else is here."

"And no one will be coming in either," Cliff added.

It was really hard to say no when both of them were looking at him like that. He also had the idea that if he said no, the two of them would just pounce on him anyway. He imagined that a deer had to feel a lot like this when it was cornered by wolves. "Well…" He desperately tried to think of an argument for this aside from the obvious—that someone could walk in at any minute. Of course, that someone would have to walk around the corner, through the locker area, and on to the showers first, but the three of them sure as hell wouldn't hear it. He also knew that the rebuke for that would be that all the soldiers on board had already showered.

Albel had had enough "persuasion." He picked Fayt up and drug him over to the far wall. "Wall" was actually an understatement. The wall only came up about chest-high to Fayt and separated the shower from the locker area. Cliff looked on with rapt interest. Albel hopped on to the wall, spun around to face Fayt and grabbed him by the hair. He hauled his head down on to his groin with slightly more force than absolutely necessary. Fayt opened his mouth to protest. The other used his hand to push himself inside the Earthling's mouth instead, stifling any objection Fayt might have.

Albel jerked his hips and rammed himself in to Fayt's mouth several times, using it like he might use another part of him. Fayt gagged, pulled his head back as much as Albel's grip on his hair would allow, and did it himself, which was more agreeable. Cliff moved behind Fayt to join them. He gripped Fayt's hips with one hand, and, as stated before, used the soap as a lubricant for both Fayt and his fingers. He worked at loosening him for a short time, watching the expressions on Albel's usually detached face, before he removed his fingers and gripped Fayt's hips in both hands, pushing himself in to him. Fayt groaned.

Cliff leaned forward, kissing Albel passionately, pushing his tongue into the others mouth. Fayt had to put his hands on the ledge to steady himself. They found Albel's thighs instead. He kneaded the taught muscle. He liked the way it felt, especially when the other tensed slightly only to relax. He could feel all the muscle in his thighs. He could even feel the blood pounding in the arteries. The Klausian moved one of his hands down to encircle Fayt's erection. Water poured down his back from the showerhead. Water droplets dripped on to Fayt's back from the blonde's hair and chest.

Albel's free hand—the left one—came up, touching the back of Cliff's neck tentatively. Cliff ran his tongue over the other's lips, brushing against his teeth. Albel's grip tightened, but not uncomfortably so. Fayt trailed his hand up the Elicoorian's thighs, to his groin. He used his hand in conjunction with his mouth, moving his thumb along the vein. He stretched his tongue out, out of his mouth. It brushed the base, tasted the damp hair and skin. It hurt a little, but Albel's delicious moan had been well-worth it. Slowly, he pulled his tongue back inside his mouth.

Cliff had to move slowly to keep Fayt from choking on Albel. In addition, he figured that if he thrust hard enough, the Earthling might pitch forward suddenly and possibly even unbalance Albel enough to knock him off the ledge—not a good thing. It was frustrating, but it felt good anyway. He was getting used to having to be careful, and this wasn't too different.

Despite Fayt's lack of experience, he was growing to be fairly good at pleasuring the other two. Because of the position, it was difficult to really do anything for Cliff, but he tried anyway. He moved forward, then pushed back against the blonde, jerking his hips slightly again, arching his back to give him a better angle. But he couldn't focus solely on Cliff; he still had Albel. _Sex is a lot of work_, he mused. He felt Albel's grip on his hair slacken. He didn't question why, but continued with a little more freedom to move his head as he pleased, teasing Albel with his teeth and tongue.

The Elicoorian's hand slid partway down Fayt's back, rubbing along his spine, before his fingers trailed up Cliff's chest, the nails lightly grazing his flesh. He rubbed his thumb on one of the blonde's nipples, using the water to his advantage. He pinched the hard nub, rolling it in two fingers.

Cliff groaned, then gasped when Fayt twisted his hips and jerked back against him again. His lips parted from Albel's as he panted. Albel lowered his head, licking the water off of his chest, seeking his nipples with his tongue, rolling his tongue over it. Albel bit his nipple lightly, teasing him. His hands roved over his chest. The Klausian moaned again. When he came, he hadn't really been expecting it, so intense was his concentration on the other two, but it was a pleasant surprise anyway. He panted for a moment. Fayt squirmed, moaning softly, continuing to use his mouth on Albel.

Cliff stepped away, back in to the full stream of the shower. He tilted his head back in it. It felt pleasant.

Albel pushed Fayt away enough to climb down. The side of the wall was growing uncomfortable. He pushed Fayt back against the wall and moved back to where Cliff had been previously. He easily slid inside Fayt. A little looser than he would have liked—he had Cliff to thank for that. But those things can be fixed. Albel raised his hand and slapped Fayt on his rump, hard enough to make a handprint. Fayt clinched around him with a small cry. Albel groaned; that was better.

He rammed in to Fayt with enough force to make the other slam against the wall with a cry of surprise as well as pleasure. He held on to him, pounding in to him. He felt Cliff's hands gently encircle his throat. He made a sound like a purr of pleasure when he realized what Cliff had in mind. He felt his fingers squeeze around his throat. He gasped. One of his hands sought Fayt's groin. His fingers clenched around him. Fayt thrust in to them, then back against Albel. Cliff nuzzled his face against Albel's dripping wet hair, inhaling the aroma.

He could hear Albel's strangled moans, but never looked to see the cause. He didn't think he could really last too much longer.

When it ended, it happened to end at about the same time. Fayt slumped against the wall, then leaned down on his knees, trying to catch his breath. He felt dizzy, his thighs ached, and his rear end was a little sore—but he felt really good too.

Albel turned around, leaning heavily against the wall. Cliff kissed him briefly and looked at Fayt, smiling. He really did look cute like that… But he needed to continue his shower; they would be to Styx soon after all.

Cliff resumed his shower. Albel went back to washing. After Fayt had caught his breath, so did he. Somehow, Fayt ended up washing Albel's hair and trying to detangle it. This occurred because he had finished washing off and Albel was more or less attacking his long hair with a comb to try to untangle it, and was getting impatient. Fayt snatched the comb away and dumped a disturbing amount of shampoo on Albel's head, and then made it his civic duty to wash the Elicoorian's hair. How had it gotten so messy? He had an idea that Cliff was the culprit.

Cliff finished his shower long before the other two did. He left to go to his room.

"How did this _happen_?" Fayt demanded for the umpteenth time. Albel sighed deeply. He was sitting on a wooden stool, Fayt standing behind him with a comb. He had just finished shampooing and conditioning his hair. He rinsed it out and began to comb it. The knots came out a little easier this time and eventually he got all the tangles out of his straight hair.

"I never really realized it before, but you have a mullet," Fayt commented.

Albel flicked water at him indignantly. "No. My hair is _layered_. Mullets are short in the front."

"Whatever…" Fayt saw something on his neck and lifted his hair. "You have bruises on your neck." Fayt leaned in a little closer. They looked like fingers. _Cliff_… He straightened. "Let's go to the sick bay after this, and get rid of it before anyone notices it. I don't think your collar will hide all of it." Cliff had big fingers.

"Hmph. Fine."

After the shower, Fayt stuck Albel underneath a hair dryer for several minutes until his hair was dry. Albel was not pleased, but it was faster than towel-drying his hair, so he didn't complain. They got dressed and the Earthling drug the Elicoorian along to the sick bay. The nurse inquired as to how he ended up with those bruises. Fayt looked away, not knowing how to answer. When he heard Albel start to answer, he almost panicked because he wasn't sure if he would tell the truth or do the sensible thing and lie. For once, he did the sensible thing and Fayt let out a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding.

"I irritated Cliff until he decided to strangle me," Albel said, his voice as flat as 21st-century road kill.

Fayt wasn't certain that the nurse believed him, but the nurse didn't care enough to inquire further. Instead, the bruises were healed and they went on their way. The hickey had also been healed, though not asked about.

Fayt went back to his room alone for the rest of the trip to Styx. The captain paged him and the others to the bridge. By the sound of the message, things weren't good. Fayt worried all the way to there. He caught up to Cliff and they exchanged worried looks before they rushed in to the room. The others were already inside. Wittcomb addressed them all once Fayt and Cliff joined the rest of the group.

They couldn't transport them down to the surface. Not because they were giving up, but because the conditions to do so were impossible, what with the Executioners and such. Still, they had a solution. The _Aquaelie_ and her crew would sacrifice themselves for Fayt's group to make it to the planet Styx. Needless to say, Fayt didn't like the idea, but it was the only option. Cliff and Maria were the first to agree to the plan. But they would be; they had been in the Commodore's place before, and they understood.

They took a last look at the Commodore and the grim crew and left to the transporter to the small ship they would take to the planet's surface. No one spoke. No one looked at each other. Fayt tried not to look at any of the nervous crewmembers as they passed them by. He didn't want to remember their faces when the _Aquaelie_ went down. It was selfish, but it was true. The guilt welling inside him blossomed like a ghastly flower when he stepped on to the transporter.

That flower bloomed when he sat down in the shuttle ship, _Calnus_. All those people were going to die for them. They did; they took out most of the Executioners around the planet, but it only took one to end it. It made Fayt sick to his stomach to watch, and sicker still to think of all those people dying for him and the others. He had to do whatever he could to save whatever was left of the universe, and he felt determined to do so. If anything, now he was just more determined not to let their deaths be in vain.

Hope renewed—or perhaps not renewed but revitalized—they landed and set out for the Time Gate.

Going there was slow and dangerous—the place was littered with the Executioners and it was easier to avoid them than battle every single one of them. After some time, they realized that they had gone in a complete circle. They looked around. All the area around Styx looked the same.

Maria pressed her lips together. "Should we split up and look for it?"

"We'll be more vulnerable that way," Fayt pointed out.

"But we'll cover more ground," Cliff said. "If we can avoid fights, and stay in contact through our communicators, we should be fine."

Sophia looked nervous. Fayt rested a reassuring hand on her shoulder briefly. She looked up at him and smiled. "Okay. Time is valuable, so I guess we'll split up," Fayt decided. The number was uneven. "So three will go one way and two will go the other."

Cliff looked at the group, trying to gauge each person's strengths and weaknesses. He himself was a tank, Fayt was a well-rounded warrior, Albel was a warrior, Sophia a healer/mage, and Maria a warrior. Maria and Albel would be in separate parties. Fayt and Sophia, as both could heal, should also be kept in separate parties. Fayt with Albel, then. Then which party was more vulnerable? The girls, or the guys? Sophia looked like she could use some support. They divided up the party and the two groups set out immediately.

The party of three headed on their way in a tight cluster. The other two took off down the other path. There were a couple forks the way they went—both of which lead to a dead end. Fayt contacted Cliff and informed him as much before they headed back in an effort to catch up with the others.

They narrowly avoided a fight with an Executioner and sprinted away. They stopped around the corner in a shelter of a rock to catch their breath.

"This is against my nature," Albel grumbled.

Fayt wiped at the sweat on his brow. "What else can we do? We can't fight all of them; we'll get killed. It's better just to dodge them, right?"

It didn't sit well with the other, but he didn't say anything.

_Once this is over,_ Fayt wondered, _will we all go our separate ways?_

The end seemed to be in sight. Once they completed their goal, what would happen then? Albel was wondering the same thing. And, a distance away, so was Cliff.

Well, if it ended, it ended. Better just enjoy the moment while it lasts. Taking full advantage of that thought, the Glyphian leaned towards Fayt and kissed him, pushing his tongue in to his mouth. Their tongues met, alien saliva spread into each other's mouths. Their lips pressed against the others, each filled with questions about the future, and pleasure in the present. It was Fayt who stepped away, knowing that something more important was going on. "Let's get going," he said.

Albel sighed and they continued on. Cliff had stopped to wait for them, and they caught up quickly enough. The group persistently marched onward. In due time, they reached the Time Gate.

Once there, they arrived at a stalemate because Sophia, their key through the Time Gate, did not know how to make her powers manifest. Cliff was about to suggest that, because Maria's as well as Fayt's powers manifested under extreme emotional stress that perhaps Sophia's would as well. Therefore, if logic followed reason, which it usually did though not always, they should all attack her at once, but then the Time Gate moved and several screens popped up in it.

Before Cliff could state his plan, he was once more interrupted. Sophia's powers abruptly manifested, and the Time Gate opened for them. After they held a brief discussion about the 4-D space on the other side, expressed their opinions and fears, they charged in blindly. It was similar to charging through a doorway, expecting some kind of resistance, and finding none, as well as being as disorienting as simply ending up on the other side of the door when expecting something strange to happen.

There were people on the other side, and all them freaked out a little when they saw them step through the Gate.

Somehow, they were expecting a little more than what they saw. For one, they were expecting some kind of battle—most likely immediately. They were expecting to be attacked immediately, for alarms to sound, for Executioners to be everywhere. Most of all, they were expecting the Creator.

But none of this happened. Instead, normal-ish people backed away in fear or ran away. A few were completely calm, only curious, and talked about a "new feature." All in all, it was baffling. Was this really 4-D space?

The group talked amongst themselves for a moment as they tried to get a handle on the situation at hand.

A young boy ran up to them excitedly. "Hey, did I hear you say 'Executioner'?"

Fayt, a little puzzled, replied, "Uh, yes, you did."

Some brief introductions ensued. The boy urged them to come to his house under the pretense of showing them something. A little suspiciously, the group agreed and followed him.

When the boy, Flad, led them to his house, his mother greeted him robotically. Then, she saw the troupe behind him. "Flad, who are these people?" she demanded. "And what's with the weird outfits?"

_How are our outfits weird?_ Fayt wondered. Well, his clothes weren't exactly "typical" for a college student, but he hadn't received that reaction once before. Maybe Albel's outfit was a little off, but as for the rest of them…

Flad assured his mother that they were friends. She didn't look convinced. Flad went to his room and the group followed. Once inside, he sat down at a computer console and asked Fayt his name and place of birth. Flad checked on something and his eyes lit up with obvious delight upon finding whatever it was he sought.

The things Flad said next were a bit disturbing. He mentioned a woman named "Blair" and told them that they were from the "Eternal Sphere." He then played a video of the battle between the _Aquaelie _and the Executioners on the computer screen. It was all quite chilling, but not the most eerie thing he said.

Apparently, Fayt and the others were actually just a collection of data—programs—living inside the Eternal Sphere, which functioned like a computer game. This did not sit well with any of them. Sophia had a sarcastic comment or two having to do with Fayt's video game obsession that she kept to herself. Albel seemed to take it the best, and Fayt knew why. Being from an underdeveloped planet, he had never played video games, so he didn't understand the full scope of the issue. Fayt was a little envious actually, because the idea that they existed only as a toy for these 4-D beings wasn't as prominent in the Elicoorian's mind.

However, before they really got anywhere, some security officers showed up, demanding that they surrender. Not happening. Flad seemed rather indignant at this, as it was his mother who called them. Parents have a bad tendency to suck the fun out of everything.

After they beat up the security squad, they commented to one another about how easy the fight was—disturbingly easy, in fact.

"I thought everyone in 4-D would be tough, like the Executioners," Cliff commented. It was everyone else's sentiments too. So many strange things had happened since they stepped through the Time Gate.

Flad gave them a disk and told them to look at in "Gemity." His mother yelled at him in typical parental uptight-ness.

The group headed out and wandered around for a bit. Some people surveyed their outfits, but otherwise didn't comment much except to say that they looked good, or to ask them if they were going to Gemity. It all made Fayt's head spin. What was "Gemity," exactly?

At the terminal, it said that Gemity was an entertainment city. Well, they were supposed to be programs in a video game, so Fayt supposed that that made sense. Still, being so close to really discovering something potentially useful, it was kind of exciting but troubling at the same time. So much they had discovered had been troubling, so Gemity might reveal still more troubling things, but if it would help, they had to go.


	12. Chapter 12

Okay, so I rearranged a side plot slightly in this chapter. I'm sure that only OCD people would notice (or care), but it bothers me enough to point it out, for posterity.

If you didn't read that, and you choose to point it out, that's your business; but I did point it out here.

**Chapter Twelve**

_Eternal Sphere_

_Albel's right_, Fayt thought. _Some of these buildings do look familiar_. Gemity was a bright city with buildings constructed that didn't suit the times of the 4th Dimension, or the roads. There were people walking around. Some of them were in very space-oriented outfits and some were wearing suits of armor. All the shopkeeps were dressed appropriately.

Some people complimented them on their outfits. A few people stopped them for pictures, which was awkward in the extreme. What was so interesting about their clothes? They were just clothes, after all.

The entire place, like Cliff said, really drove home the fact that they were just data.

They walked through the market area and on to the actual entertainment place. They took the transporter to the Eternal Sphere, as that sounded familiar.

Maria fiddled with the computer and the disk that Flad gave them, but it wouldn't grant them access to the Milky Way Galaxy until Sophia poked it, then they suddenly had access. So, now they had a way back home.

They headed to Elicoor to see if there was actually anything left in their Galaxy worth saving. It dropped them right in the Kirlsa Hills. Albel was unimpressed as ever, but everyone else was shocked. They really were just programs, and this was only more evidence of that.

Sophia's hand felt tentative in Fayt's. Was she still remembering what she had seen before? Fayt sure hoped not. He hoped that she could move on from that—that she forgot about it completely and banished it forever from her mind.

Albel glanced toward Airyglyph and started walking off alone.

"Where are you going?" Fayt demanded.

He glanced back over his shoulder. "I'm going to get something. I can catch up with you worms later."

Fayt hesitated. "Wait, I'll go with you." His fingers trailed away from Sophia's. No one was looking, so no one noticed, but Sophia's eyes softened with mourning, as the semblance did not go unnoticed.

"Hmph. Just don't slow me down," he snapped, but he was secretly kind of happy that Fayt had volunteered to go with him. At the unfamiliar, warm feeling of happiness, he frowned to himself. Why did that make him happy?

Cliff's mouth twisted. For some reason, the two of them alone together struck a spark of jealousy—not in a bad way, but he didn't want to miss out on anything. "Wait up. I'll go along too."

Maria crossed her arms. "Right. We're going to head to Aquios and check up on things there."

Fayt looked back at Sophia and Maria hesitantly. "Well, maybe I should go with the girls… With only two of them, they're sort of unprotected…"

Maria looked deeply offended. Cliff intervened. "Maria can hold her own," he said gently. He should know; Mirage had trained her in combat, and she hadn't done a bad job.

"We'll be fine," Maria said. Fayt sighed. Maria was a warrior and Sophia was a healer/mage, so maybe they would be fine, and they could always avoid battles too. Still, Executioners could show up at any time… No, they would be fine.

That decided, they split up again.

They marched along quickly. Fayt noticed a visible shift in Albel when they went in to Airyglyph territory. He seemed a little more relaxed. That was natural, he guessed.

"So what are we going to get?" Cliff wondered when they had stopped to catch their breath after passing through Kirlsa, standing at the apex of the hill overlooking the town.

"A sword," Albel answered absentmindedly. _All this for a _sword_?_ Cliff thought. _It'd better be some damn special sword._

A chill breeze snaked through their hair. Fayt shivered, tucking his cold fingers under his arms. His lower lip quivered, his teeth chattered. Cliff pulled him closer. Fayt shivered as another gust of wind blew, leaning his head against Cliff's chest. It was still cold, but it was warmer this way. He felt Albel move behind him, and he was suddenly warm between the two of them.

Cliff and Albel glared at each other over the top of Fayt's head. They reminded Fayt of nothing more than two dominant dogs in a kennel, vying for dominance. Their jealousy was suffocating. But what was the rivalry about?

"You're freezing, Fayt. We'd better get movin'," Cliff said. He took Fayt's arm and gave him a gentle shove in the right direction. Albel walked beside Fayt. Cliff and Albel glared at each other again briefly. The interesting thing was that the rivalry was almost friendly. It dawned on Fayt what they were competing for.

He dug in his heels. "I won't be a prize for you two to fight over," he snapped.

They looked taken back. "Fayt…"

"After this is all done, we're going back to our separate lives," he reminded them. Even as he said it, the words cut him too. "Don't ruin the time we have with this rivalry."

The other two looked away. For some reason, it didn't sit well with any of the three that they would all go back to lead their own separate lives. Oddly enough, it was Albel who voiced what the other two had on their minds. "Are you really going to leave forever?"

Fayt scratched the back of his head. He had college, and a life. Sure, his father was dead. But he could still move on. He wondered if Earth was all right—if he would still have college and a home to go back to for that matter. Even if he didn't, he still had other things he wanted to do in life. He liked Elicoor, but…

As for Cliff, he had to think about _Diplo_, Maria, Mirage, and the other Klausians. He had a life there too. He wasn't going to abandon it for a couple of _guys_. At least, that was what he told himself—that they were just guys. Sex buddies, really. That was all. He tried not to look either one in the eye as he thought that, and was glad that he didn't have to say it aloud.

Albel wasn't thinking remotely like the other two. Even if he was reinstated back to Captain of the Black Brigade, the war had ended. There would be nothing for him to do anymore, except maybe keep the soldiers fit. But any of his subordinates could do that. He would be useless… and bored.

"Let's get going," Fayt sighed. Feeling suddenly glum, they continued marching on to Airyglyph.

Albel strode right up to the castle and straight to his king, as informal as ever. Fayt guffawed at the difference between the way Nel treated her queen and the way Albel treated his king. It was quite a culture shock.

King Airyglyph and Albel talked for a bit, and then they headed down to the treasury. Fayt, curious, followed them down. After Albel talked to a sword for a bit, he emerged with a new weapon, a triumphant gleam in his eyes, looking quite pleased with himself.

Albel and the king talked for a bit longer. This was all a little much for Fayt. Talking to swords? The informality? What…?

Cliff had waited outside during all this, and upon seeing Albel's pleased expression said, "So, I take it something good happened?"

Albel grinned at Cliff—a little too broadly. It gave Cliff the impression that he was about to go for his neck. He subconsciously took a step away from him. "Yes." He indicated the new sword strapped to his leg.

"Anything else?"

He considered briefly. "I was reinstated back to Captain of the Black Brigade," he commented.

Fayt nearly fell over. All this was just too much for him. So, Albel was charged with treason… and more or less a prisoner with him and his group and had to earn his freedom again… he earned his freedom and then abandoned his people and planet… all to just get his title back again? Somehow, the pieces didn't fit in Fayt's mind. How did any of that equate to "all's well—here's your rank and title back"?

"So should I call you 'Sir Albel' from now on?" Cliff said sarcastically.

Albel grinned again, this time not so broadly. "Only if it turns you on."

Fayt gawked at them. How could they engage in such playful banter right now? With everything going on? Their entire universe was in danger. _How_ could they do this? How could they summon the sarcasm and the wit to do it? Maybe Fayt was just too serious. As Cliff said, he was a "square." Maybe that was why he didn't get it.

As they left town, their flirting and banter got even worse when there weren't people around to notice it. Fayt's horror only continued to grow. He just didn't understand how they could do this.

A strong breeze at just the right angle made Albel's skirt flare up. He caught the front of it, but not the back. Cliff made a show of appreciating the view. "Nice ass," he commented, head tilted obviously to the side.

The Glyphian tilted his head toward Cliff, eyes half-lidded, a feigned shy smile adorning his features. One hand came up to partway cover his mouth, as if he were embarrassed. He wasn't. "Cliff… You're embarrassing me." Liar.

Fayt couldn't help but stare at him as he realized what kind of form their banter had taken. Who could say something so outrageous that the other was speechless first? Cliff didn't miss a beat. He was good at this and he knew that the other was in way over his head. "If you're embarrassed, you could start by wearing underwear." He grinned. "I was thinking black or purple lace."

That was it. Cliff won. Albel's facial expression was comical; he couldn't hold the shy school-girl face forever. "Er…" No witty, saving retort came to mind. Cliff howled with laughter and congratulated himself.

Albel marched over to the Dragon Brigade soldier and they got a ride to the Bequerel Mines. Better than walking. They made it to Peterny by nightfall. Albel had his revenge on Cliff on the way there.

"… they have squeaky voices," Cliff was saying. They had been commenting on the Executioners. They had tried to get Fayt to join in, but he wasn't as good at it as they were and he didn't mind listening. Besides, he didn't feel like it, not with everything going on.

"I bet if I kicked you in the groin, you'd sound a lot like them, worm," Albel said.

Cliff tilted his head a little. Albel had left himself _wide open_ for this one. "I bet before your balls dropped, you sounded _just like_ them." Then he pretended to think for a moment. "No, probably more like the white ones. Probably looked just like a girl too."

Albel surveyed Cliff. "You were probably gangly at that age. At least I was proportionate."

"Hey, what's that?"

"Hm?"

Cliff knocked Albel in the back of the head. Bad move. Albel spun around and slammed into Cliff. His armor absorbed most of the impact. Cliff toppled backwards—into a stream, landing on his rear end in the ankle-deep water.

Fayt glanced sidelong at Cliff. "I'd give him a four out of ten," he commented to the other swordsman. Albel chuckled condescendingly.

Cliff pulled himself out of the water. He flicked water at the two of them.

By the time they arrived at Paterny, Cliff had dried off. For appearances, they got two rooms, but one wasn't really used.

Because of the time of day, the baths weren't empty this time, so they just washed off and went back to their rooms… room.

Back in their room, Cliff and Albel continued their banter—like they had all day. Fayt felt jealous and bothered by it at the same time. A disaster was looming. How could they joke and tease?

Fayt combed his hair, his back to them. He turned when he heard something loud, like something falling heavily on to the bed. Albel was laying on his back, Cliff on top of him. They had clothes on, but their clothes were barely on and certainly not covering anything. "'Sir Albel,' you're rather eager tonight."

Albel nibbled on Cliff's ear. "Pleasure me," he commanded.

"Yes, sir!"

Fayt's grip on the comb tightened. How? Just… _how_? They might be deleted at any moment… the Creator was an ever-present threat and they _had _to deal with that… and they were having sex? They were flirting? "What the hell?" Fayt demanded.

The other two looked at him, clearly confused. "Fayt?" Cliff wondered.

Albel reached a hand toward him. "Come join us."

Fayt very nearly almost jumped in bed with them, but stopped himself. "How can you two do that right now? We could all die."

Cliff sighed and sat up. "That's _why_ we're doing it," he said. "Trying to enjoy ourselves before we might not be able to."

Fayt shivered. They might _die_. "But we could all die… And you want to have _sex_?"

Albel sat up, leaning against the wall. "Fayt. You've done nothing but push both of us away since you realized there was a crisis at hand." He looked at him, quite seriously. "Come relax." He smiled seductively. "I'll make sure you enjoy yourself."

Tempting. Very tempting. Maybe they had a point. Maybe trying to relax would be good for him. He sighed and nodded. "Sure." He stripped off his clothes and joined the other two in bed. Cliff already had an idea as to a position. He scooted to the edge of the bed, wetting his fingers with his saliva. He pulled Albel over to him, back to him. He slid his damp fingers over Albel, between his legs. A quick entrance with his fingers, twisting them sharply, working quickly. He removed his fingers and lifted the smaller man. He all but dropped him onto Cliff's member. Albel gasped and gave a sharp cry, his thighs tensed. Albel turned his head and kissed Cliff, moaning when Cliff began to move his hips. Fayt covered Albel's erection with his mouth, trying to lather him as much as possible. He tasted precum, and it excited him.

Cliff panted. "Fayt, now," he gasped, leaning back a little, holding Albel in place. Fayt straddled the Elicoorian, face toward him. Slowly, he lowered himself onto him, grimacing a little and gasping. Albel moved his hips gently, trying to get him used to it. Truthfully, Fayt preferred Albel as to Cliff; he adjusted faster.

The blonde seme nipped Albel's earlobe, rubbing his thighs with his fingers. Albel had one hand on Cliff to support himself, and the other wrapped around Fayt's middle.

It was like they realized it all at once. The girls weren't here. The only other people here weren't really all that important. Those people had no one to tell that it would matter to them. They could be as loud as they wanted.

Albel lifted himself partway off of Cliff, all the way in to Fayt. Fayt shuddered in delight. Albel slid back down on to Cliff, flexing his hips again, but felt a little frustrated caught between their two bodies. The frustration didn't last long, because once Cliff decided that Fayt probably wouldn't fall on the floor, he ground in to Albel, strong enough to lift both of the other two. Fayt cried out when one of Cliff's movements caused Albel to pitch forward, pushing deeper in to him. Fayt's back arched. He moved his hips. He wondered what felt best for Albel, but the thought was lost when Cliff made the movement again.

A third movement caused Fayt to nearly fall out of Albel's sweat-slicked arms. Cliff quickly grabbed him, pulling all three of them back, on to the bed. Decisions, decisions… Another idea occurred. He slipped out of Albel. The other two almost didn't notice. Fayt sure as hell didn't. Looking at him, and listening to his moans and pants was delicious. Cliff put a hand to Albel's back, and lowered him on to his back with a hand to Fayt's back, pushing him down. Fayt glanced back at Cliff, then closed his eyes and cried out again as the Elicoorian tilted his lower body, jerking his hips quickly. Cliff lifted Albel's legs and rested his ankles on his shoulders.

_Problem fixed_…

Cliff entered Albel. He kept a grip on one of his thighs and his hip, occasionally touching Fayt, tasting the sweat on his neck. The Klausian suddenly had a devious thought. He lifted Fayt in both hands, then pulled out almost all the way. He lifted Fayt almost completely off of Albel, then dropped him back on to him, at the same time, ramming in to Albel hard enough to knock his head against the headboard.

Albel's back arched and he screamed. His eyes were huge, and his breath came in ragged, heavy pants. "Oh… Again… Do it again!"

Fayt gave a sharp cry this time, but it was all but swallowed by Albel's second wail. Cliff wouldn't have thought Albel would be so wonderfully vocal in bed. But, hey, balance. He didn't talk much except to insult people normally. It only made sense that he should be a little more vocal sexually.

"Cliff, do it again!" Albel demanded.

Cliff smiled, kissing Fayt's neck, feeling his back against his chest as the Earthling writhed on top of Albel, the Klausian rocking gently in and out of him. "But you'll come if I do that again."

"Do it again!" Albel pleaded.

Fayt's eyes opened to that, then he gave a sharp cry of pleasure and surprise when Cliff tweaked one of his nipples. Cliff was enjoying this; he wanted to hear Albel beg some more. He _really_ liked it—more than he thought he might. Yes, they would _have_ to do some fetish scene some time.

"What if I don't?" Cliff teased, hand encircling Fayt's swollen erection, his other hand massaging Albel's thigh.

"… Please?" Albel sighed breathily. He gasped sharply. "It felt so good…"

The smile that snaked across Cliff's face was sadistic. Fayt lifted his hips and slid down on Albel, hitting a place that made him wail—a strangled sound compared to the Elicoorian. But Fayt was used to choking off his louder noises. Cliff could feel Fayt's end nearing; he had been with him enough times to know. And if he heard Albel beg, he might just come soon too. "I want you to beg," Cliff whispered.

Albel's lips tried to curl in to a sneer, but Cliff quickly jerked in to him, turning the sneer in to a loud moan instead. "Please?"

"More."

"Cliff…"

The Klausian considered, then leaned forward. He slapped Albel—fairly gently compared to the kind of damage he could really do. "I said 'more.'"

Albel moaned. "Hit me again…"

Fayt seemed to be aware of what was going on, but was too lost in his own euphoric pleasure to say anything about it. Cliff turned Fayt head with one hand, ignoring Albel for the time being aside from what he was currently doing to him. He kissed Fayt passionately. He opened one eye to look at Albel, who was seething with jealousy, and anger that Cliff wasn't obeying him.

"Going to…" Fayt gasped.

"I know," Cliff whispered. He glanced back at Albel, lifted his palm, and slapped him across the face again. This time, his cheek was red from it. The Glyphian only moaned. "Aaal-beel…"

_Fuck! Stop teasing me!_ But he was dying for the way that felt again. "Please do it again?" He moaned. "Please, damn it!"

Fayt was ready. Cliff shuddered. Yep, time to give in and reward Albel. He lifted Fayt, pulling out. Albel quivered. Cliff dropped Fayt and slammed in to Albel. The entire _bed_ pitched forward. Albel hit his head hard against the headboard and didn't seem to notice in the least and they couldn't hear it over his wail of pleasure. Cliff would take _that_ scream to his grave in fond memory.

Fayt moaned, leaning back against Cliff as he released, feeling Albel do the same inside him. Cliff kissed him, sagging from his own release. Albel had a two-minute long orgasm. Fayt shivered and moaned throughout the whole thing. Cliff was actually _very_ pleased with himself, massaging his thighs, running his hands over his hips as he did it.

He pulled Fayt off of Albel and set him down. Cliff ran a hand through his sweaty, disheveled hair. Why hadn't they done this _before_ their bath? He stretched and climbed out of bed. His legs were a little wobbly. He straightened. He hadn't felt that way in a good long time; it felt wonderful.

"Is anyone else thirsty?" he asked as he pulled his pants on.

Fayt nodded, as if in a daze. "Yeah."

Cliff's gaze shifted to Albel. Albel raised a finger, but that was all. Cliff left to go get them some water. Fayt felt unexpectedly very sleepy. Semen ran down his thighs. Maybe he should take a quick trip to the baths before he went to bed. But he felt no inclination whatsoever to get up.

Albel hadn't moved. Fayt knew that, despite how hard he had hit his head, he wasn't unconscious, so it was probably more from exhaustion. He wanted to open the window; it was suddenly very stuffy in here. He stood on shaky legs. He thought he might fall. He sat back down and stretched, wriggling his toes. He stood again, one hand against the wall. He walked leaning against the wall to the window. He pushed it open and fell in to the other, clean bed.

Cliff came back in with a pitcher and cups. He had a bucket of warm water too. He served everyone a cup of water. Fayt gulped it down. Albel stared at it, unable to convince his body to move. Cliff drank a large gulp and set the cup on the table. He undressed again and washed the sweat from his body. He walked over to Fayt and handed him a wet cloth. Fayt gratefully took it and cleaned himself off, having to re-dunk the cloth a few times. He fell back in to bed, eyes closed.

Cliff walked over to Albel and poked him in the side. No reaction. He leaned over him with the intent of pushing the hair out of his face. Albel's arms wrapped around his middle and brought him down to him. Albel kissed him fiercely, passionately. Heat rose. They broke apart. Cliff blinked in surprise. The other let go of him and partway sat up, very slowly. He took a long, deep breath and pushed the hair off of his face. He reached to the bucket of water, grabbing the last towel. Satisfied that he was moving now, Cliff sat down in the chair, stretching out his limbs.

Fayt was already asleep. Cliff stood up and dressed from the waist down with the intention of going to the other room to sleep. He looked up to say "goodnight" to Albel, but the other was curled up asleep already. He would be tired though. _Two-minute long orgasm. I'm a little jealous._ But he was pleased with himself all the same.

He suddenly remembered how hard Albel had hit his head. "Not good," he said to himself. He walked over to him and pinched the other's nostrils shut. Albel suddenly snorted, his eyes snapped open, and he sat up.

"What in hell are you doing?" he snapped.

Cliff frowned at him. "You should know better than to go to sleep after hitting your head that hard. You might have a concussion. You need to stay awake for a couple hours."

Albel pursed his lips indignantly. "Fine." He paused, considering, for a moment. He got up and started pulling on his clothes. "Come with me to the pub then."

"I can't believe you're going drinking with a possible concussion."

"Are you coming or not?"

"Sure thing." Cliff glanced at Fayt. "Should I wake the kid?"

"No," Albel said. "There's something I wanted to talk to you about."

Cliff wasn't certain that he liked the sound of that. "Kid's probably not much of a drinker anyway." He pulled on the rest of his clothes and followed the swordsman out the door. While he was dying of curiosity, he restrained himself until they were seated at the pub with their drinks.

"So, what were you going to say?" Cliff asked, taking a sip of his alcoholic beverage.

"Ah, that." He hesitated, but only momentarily. "A while ago, Fayt asked me something."

Ah, that explained why he wanted to leave Fayt behind. "Right. What about?"

Albel looked over the rim of his glass at the blonde. "He asked me…" He lowered his voice in case anyone might be listening. They could be, but Albel had chosen to sit as far away as possible, and the Aquarians shrunk away from him in fear anyway. "'What happens if I fall in love with either of you?'" Cliff was dumbstruck. The Glyphian raised an eyebrow at the expression on Cliff's face. "Precisely."

Cliff suddenly understood why Albel had been semi-distancing himself from Fayt recently. He might do the same. "Fayt's still a kid," the Klausian conceded. "He probably can't tell the difference between love and lust yet. Doesn't seem like he thinks that way right now, but it may be a problem later on." He took another sip from his glass. "How long ago?"

"Before we reached Styx on that ship."

"Oh." Cliff was a little annoyed that Albel hadn't spoken up sooner. "Perhaps we should make certain that there is a clear distinction between sex and love for him."

Albel shot a bar patron who was trying to lip read a frosty scowl. The man turned around abruptly. The Glyphian looked back at Cliff. "Any ideas?"

Cliff sighed. "Not now, no." He glanced around the pub briefly. "But I've got a hunch the kid won't be popping the 'l-word' any time soon."

"Why do you say that?"

Cliff smiled sardonically. "What'd you do when he said that?"

Albel blinked. "I sent him to his room."

He nodded. "Good. That'll help." He took a long drink of the beer. "We just have to make sure that he doesn't develop any emotional attachments to either of us—besides friendship, I mean." _That shouldn't be too hard for you_.

Albel sighed. That may be more difficult than it sounded, especially if they continued having sex. The closeness of such contact often confused the emotions. But outside the bedroom, he could make sure that Fayt knew that there was nothing between them but sex. "Mm," he agreed.

In the morning, they had a quick breakfast and disembarked for Aquios.

Fayt yawned, still feeling tired. He really wanted a good, long twelve-hour, uninterrupted sleep with no extra bodies in bed. Maybe after this was over, he would finally get the kind of rest he craved.

Albel felt fantastic and was even almost pleasant to be around. He even referred to Fayt and Cliff by their names most of the time instead of his usual derogatory terms for them. Cliff made a mental note to make sure that Albel got laid frequently if it made him this amiable.

"Albel, I have a question for you," Cliff said.

"Hm?"

"Before we had sex, when was the last time you got laid?"

Albel paused, trying to remember the last time he had found someone worthy and simultaneously attractive enough to bed. "Ah…"

"If you have to think about it, then it must be quite a while." Cliff nodded thoughtfully. "That explains it."

"What?" Fayt wondered.

Cliff jerked a thumb in the Glyphian's direction. "Why he was such a jackass and suddenly he's being so agreeable."

"What does that explain?" Fayt said, not quite getting it. But he wouldn't. Cliff had gone an extended period of time without having sex before—deep space did that sometimes. He had been angry and testy too. Fayt, though, being that he hadn't been deprived of it for long periods of time yet, wouldn't get it.

"You'll understand one day," Cliff told him. The blonde glanced back at Albel. "Makes me wonder what he's like when he's completely sexually satisfied." Albel pretended not to hear him.

When they arrived at Aquios, Nel had joined the party after speaking with Maria and Sophia. This put a damper on Albel's mood, just enough so that no one noticed that his attitude had changed since the day before.

The group headed to Kirlsa again to get back to Gemity in the 4D world. So much back-and-forth and to-and-fro…

On the way back to the Fourth Dimension, Fayt was awarded a 1/1 bunny for completing a map. "Hey, we can sell this for a lot of Fol!" Fayt said, quite pleased.

"But it makes us so slow," Sophia complained. Maria might as well not move. Even Nel and Albel, usually the two fastest characters, were slowed down considerably and they didn't have enough Bunny Shoes to give to everyone.

"Get rid of it!" Cliff demanded.

Fayt gripped the bunny tightly. "No! We can make a lot of money off of it!"  
"But, Fayt, I can't run away from the enemies," Sophia whined.

"I can't even move," Maria said flatly.

"At this rate, we'll never make it to the next town--let alone to a shop," Nel pointed out. "Just throw it away."

But Fayt was thinking of all the things he could buy with the money he sold from the 1/1 bunny. A new sword would be really nice about now. "But… the Fol…"

"Get rid of it, worm!" Albel yelled and hurled himself through the air at Fayt. Fayt yelped in surprise when he hit him in a flying tackle, knocking him to the ground with Albel on top, all of it in slow-motion because they couldn't move very quickly with the 1/1 bunny. Fayt rolled on to his stomach, hiding the extremely heavy bunny underneath himself. Albel reached under Fayt and simultaneously tried to pull him off of it with his other hand.

"Albel! No! C'mon! The Fol…!"

"Shut up, maggot!"

After several minutes of wrestling, Fayt screaming and pleading with Albel to be reasonable (not happening), Albel jabbed Fayt in the neck. The Earthling gasped and his grip on the bunny relaxed enough for the Elicoorian to rip it from his grasp. Fayt reached desperately for the hard-earned scale bunny, but Albel dashed away from him. He handed it to Cliff. The Klausian hurled the bunny through the air as far as he could. It landed completely out of sight. Fayt glared at the other two dejectedly.

Sophia handed Maria fifty Fol.

Once they got back to Gemity, they discussed what they should do. The obvious path was to head to the Sphere Company, the company that developed their universe, the Eternal Sphere. It was located in a place called "The Lost City" and access there, they discovered once they reached the transporter, was extremely limited and they weren't allowed in.

Cliff and Maria decided that the best way through, in that case, was brute force. Before they could enact their plan, though, the station attendant found them.

The station attendant said, "Ah, there you are!"  
Fayt frowned. "Huh?" He was worried that they had been overheard. Apparently, this was not the case.

"I just got word from the Lost City. You've been given access privileges."

How disturbingly convenient, and the group was not without suspicion, and knew very well that it was probably a trap, and an easy ambush. The people there probably knew what they were up to. Still, they had to go. They took the Space Time Station to the Sphere Company.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen**

_Separation_

Exactly as they thought, it had been a trap, though the man waiting for them clearly didn't know how they had bypassed the security. That was certainly confusing; they had been invited, after all.

Naturally, a fight ensued, and the win was hard-gained, but none of the group was hurt seriously. However, Azazer, the one they had been fighting, activated the security system before he died, cutting off their escape route.

Sophia cast Fairy Light on everyone to heal their wounds before they moved on. With the security system activated, they ran in to the occasion guard, and there were robots and even tanks littered about each floor they came across.

If this was it, their relationship was not going down in the dark. Frankly, Albel was tired of the other two hiding it. Tired of hiding it for their sake. Just fucking sick of it. And if they hated him for what he was about to do, so be it. But he had to do it.

It had to be Cliff first—while he was off-guard. Then Fayt.

Albel straightened and strode over to Cliff. He could feel the rest of the group's eyes on him, wondering why he was walking with everyone else instead of trailing behind them like a creepy stalker like he usually did. Now wasn't the time for stage fright. He grabbed Cliff's head in both hands, rose to eye-level and kissed him. The kiss was angry, frightened, and anxious all at the same time. But he felt good about it. Cliff's eyes were wide open. His lips didn't move; he was too shocked. Albel let go of him and spun around. He stalked over to Fayt. Fayt's eyes widened as he realized what the Elicoorian was planning. Before Fayt could try to escape, he grabbed his head in both hands to keep him still. He leaned down and kissed Fayt. Fayt's mouth was frozen in shock. His entire body was frozen. Albel's tongue rolled over Fayt's lips. He felt more confident now, but how long would that last?

He let go of him and walked ahead of the group a ways, back to them. "Are we going or not?"

No one said anything. Sophia's brain refused to process what had just happened and, in a fit of protest, caused her to faint rather than deal with the truth: That Fayt had just been kissed by a guy. Maria looked from Cliff, to Fayt, to Albel, and back again in open-eyed astonishment. Nel blinked several times as she tried to sort out what had just transpired and, more importantly, why.

Finally, someone moved. Nel knelt to help Sophia. The brunette came to quickly and looked at the three men, pointing to each of them in turn as she spoke. "Did… that… I mean… Did Albel just… and Cliff… and Fayt too?" she stammered.

Maria hesitated. "I'm… not sure I saw it all myself…"

"No, he did," Nel said.

"Cliff, breathe," the leader of Quark commanded. Cliff's face was turning as blue as Maria's hair as his body forgot how to breathe. She hauled back her first and punched him in the gut and he exhaled, then inhaled desperately. "What was that about?" Cliff was still too shocked for words. Fayt hadn't moved since Albel had let go of him. Maria glanced at Albel. "Hey, you. What the hell are you up to?"

Albel turned back around. He opened his mouth to reply with the most straightforward answer that came to mind, but Cliff and Fayt had suddenly regained themselves and lunged simultaneously at the swordsman. Fayt clamped his hand over Albel's mouth. Cliff pinned his arms down. "What the hell has gotten in to you?" Cliff hissed in his ear. Albel scowled down at Fayt's hand. Obviously, he couldn't reply with Fayt covering his mouth, but neither of them trusted him enough at the moment to relax that hold.

"Excuse us," Fayt said to the rest of the party. Cliff and Fayt hauled Albel off around the corner. Once they were out of earshot, they let go of him.

Little did they know that the girls were conspiring to spy on them. They watched them go. Maria tilted her head toward them, looking at Nel. The redhead nodded once that she understood. Nel motioned to Sophia to be quiet. The issue with this area was that, though they could walk out of earshot, there were enough corners to hide behind that spying on them was no problem for Nel. Maria pulled the scope off of her gun and watched them through it for as long as she could before they rounded a corner. However, no indication of what was going on could be made just from them dragging Albel off. Nel crept after them.

"What did you do that for?" Fayt demanded, letting go of Albel's mouth. Cliff released his arms.

Albel glared from one to the other. "I'm tired of pretending. And I'm sick of lying about it and hiding it like it's something I should be ashamed of; I'm not." He suddenly looked hurt. "Why are you?"

Cliff again lost the ability to speak—something about the sorrowful look in Albel's eyes and the hurt tone of his voice. He just didn't know what to say. Fayt's facial features softened. "I'm sorry, Albel. What else can we do?" Fayt said softly. This is when Nel got within earshot again, but no one was aware of her ninja-like presence.

Cliff crossed his arms and pried his eyes away from Albel. The kicked-puppy expression on Albel's face rendered him utterly helpless; it may have been the point. He looked in the other's general direction instead. The swordsman knew the difference. "Albel, this is almost over. Leave it be."

The kicked-puppy look somehow got more sorrowful. "You're both stupid."

Fayt broke in. "Albel, I want to return to my life after this!" he pleaded. "I want to go home. I don't want to have Sophia think of me like that."

"She already does," he said bitterly. "Unless she convinced herself it was a dream."

Cliff felt a headache coming on. "What about me, then? Maria _isn't_ gonna just forget about it."

He looked at them. "But if they're only your friends, how is it different than if Fayt and I were women?"

The blonde tried to say two different things at once and ended up stuttering instead. He cleared his throat. How could he explain his relationship with Mirage? He had always had feelings for her, and he had an idea that she felt the same way. Neither of them had ever acted on it though. He was grateful that she wasn't here. And this thing with Albel and Fayt—that was a fling. He wasn't willing to jeopardize Mirage for a fling. Besides, Maria was like his adopted daughter as well as his boss. To hell that this incident wouldn't taint her thoughts about him either. He didn't think she would tell anyone about it, but all the same… "Mirage," he finally said with a deep sigh. "I won't give up her for either of you—or even both of you."

Albel looked like Cliff had just punched him in the gut. Fayt jerked slightly, as if he were shocked. Of course, he knew that. He would probably still choose Sophia over Cliff and Albel… it was less weird, less confusing. More natural. Fayt was the first to recover from it. "… Y-you're right… This should end now." _And never look back_, he thought.

Albel actually backed away from both of them. Nel decided that _now_ was the time to return to the other women. Things were about to get really ugly.

Maria had been watching what she could see through the scope, but she hadn't seen much. The other two were eager for information.

"So what's going on?" Sophia asked Nel upon her return. Maria reattached her scope.

Nel hesitated and glanced back at the direction she had left them in but they hadn't started back yet. "Honestly…" She hesitated again. Should she dare say what was going on? She decided that, to spare them their privacy, she should lie. "They're having a few words with Albel about appropriate conduct." It wasn't _exactly_ a lie.

"So… What about him kissing them?" Maria wondered.

Nel shrugged in a helpless gesture. "I don't know what's wrong with him, but it was about to get bad, so I left."

"Are they fighting?" Sophia asked.

Nel's mouth twisted into a frown. "Sort of. Let's wait for them to get back."

Back with our favourite threesome…

"What the hell is wrong with both of you!" Albel demanded. "Is that it?" He looked down. "We just spend all this time having sex and then that's all?"

Thoughts of a thought echoed in Fayt's mind. _It can't last_. _It won't last._ "Albel…"

_It's all because we're men,_ Albel thought miserably. _If I were female, would they still abandon me like this? Or would their previous relationships mean more? Why is it all right to do this to a man, then, and not a woman?_

Albel looked up. "Fine. So be it."

Fayt and Cliff had won the argument, but they didn't feel victorious. They felt like they had lost too. But lost what?

"Let's go," Fayt said quietly. Upon their return, the girls almost asked about the entire event, but one look at their faces silenced them. Nel was the only one who had a real idea of what had transpired, and she hadn't said one word. Albel seemed to have grown even more distant, detached, and mean. Cliff was a little more arrogant, a little more interested in the minor battles they came across. Fayt was silent and nothing more. He didn't feel like fighting so Maria took his place. Cliff only wanted to fight. Albel seemed to want to, but didn't.

While Cliff and Maria were dispatching a minor enemy and Sophia and Fayt talked a ways away, Nel noticed Albel's sorrowful disposition. She wondered if she should say something, but it really wasn't her place and, besides, he would probably only snap at her. Still… She walked over to him. "You look like you just got dumped," she commented.

He looked at her. "Only because I did."

Nel hadn't been expecting him to be so blunt about it. She glanced at the others. "I think we all need a short break before we go. It's been a long ways." She looked up at him. "Will you come for a walk with me?"

He hesitated, then agreed. She told Sophia and Fayt what they were doing before they left. Albel tried trailing behind her, but she kept slowing down to a snail's pace when he did, so he walked beside her. Nel took a deep breath. "I overheard some of what transpired."

"You were spying on us."

"You could say that." He scowled. "So what really happened?" she asked. When Albel didn't respond, she added, "I won't tell anyone. Who would believe me anyway? You can trust me."

He snorted at that. "I don't trust you."

"Did you trust Fayt?" Nel asked him. He missed a step. She nodded wisely. "I see. Well, so they dumped you. How come?"

He studied her for a moment. "They're worried about what people will think of them."

She nodded encouragingly. "Go on."

Albel paused for a long moment. "Fayt apparently… Well… Sophia…"

Nel pursed her lips in thought. "Yes, Fayt does seem attached to Sophia."

He felt a bit relieved that she had said that. "Cliff likes Mirage," he spat out immediately. That came out much easier. Maybe because their relationship wasn't so obvious to Albel. "And Maria is his boss… So…"

Nel quickly saw where this was going. "And they're both worried that… their relationship with each other… and you… was going to ruin it?"

He sighed in relief. "That's right."

"But if they were really more interested in the other girls, wouldn't they have never gotten involved?"

Albel very nearly smiled, because she understood. His mood lifted. Someone got it! Would she help, though? "Exactly!"

Nel paused. "However… What was your relationship like? Was it just sex, or did you care about each other?"

He looked away. He knew that Fayt had feelings for Cliff and him. He could very probably love them, and was terrified of saying it aloud—largely in part by what he had said and done that night on the _Aquaelie_. Cliff seemed to care about Fayt and Albel. The swordsman sighed. And… somewhere, deep down… so deep that to find it required conscious thought and concentration, he cared about them too. Though he had a hard time admitting it aloud. He gritted his teeth for a moment. He had to say _something_. No, he had to say the truth or she wouldn't be able to help. "Yes," he spat out. "We never said anything, but we did."

She glanced at him briefly. "That was probably part of the problem."

He frowned at her. "Doesn't any of this bother you?"

(Author's Note: This is extremely out of character, but, oh, I just couldn't resist the temptation from the fanfic devil and if I go to fanfic author hell and burn forever in the flames of angry readers for it, then that's my… fayt. It was well-worth it!)

An uncharacteristic grin spread across her face. "Actually…" She reached in to her pocket and pulled out a small rectangular, laminated card. It was a membership card with Nel's name and a member number printed on it. She flashed the front of it to Albel. It read, quite clearly, "_Boys Love Fandom: There is no girl who doesn't like yaoi!_ " It depicted two naked bishounen making out. She stashed the card back in her pocket. "Maria and I were talking and once she heard that I liked yaoi, she convinced me to join the club--literally." Her grin broadened. "So Maria is a yaoi fan too. So, you see, Cliff only has to worry about Maria acting fangirl-ish."

Albel realized his mouth was hanging open in astonishment and snapped it shut. The world felt like it had suddenly gone quite mad and reality was out to lunch. He blinked several times as he tried to process this news. "You're… a… yaoi… fangirl."

"That's right." She suddenly turned serious. "So what do you want to do? Do you want to accept that they dumped you? They both have feelings for you and each other. I think we can work something out."

'_Yaoi fangirl?_' Albel's head spun. He shook it to clear it. "Are you saying that I can get them back?"

"Yes," Nel said. "Maria will want to help. Is there any more information you could tell me?"

He hesitated, then told her about their problem with Sophia. She couldn't help but giggle a little when he told her about how she had walked in on them. Nel nodded for a moment as she considered this new element to the situation. "Well, her apparent problems with Boys Love _will_ pose a problem if Fayt is concerned about his relationship with her."  
"Anything you can do about it?"

A wicked grin spread across her face. "'There is no girl who doesn't like yaoi.' We'll think of something. So don't worry about that. I'll let you know once we've properly converted her." They stopped walking and started to turn around. She put her hands on hips. "Then, we can begin to work on your relationship with Fayt and Cliff. I think I've got a few ideas."

Albel's affection for Nel suddenly skyrocketed. (For anyone who follows their affection gauges, his affection for her suddenly doubled.) This woman, who he had thought was just "Aquarian scum," who happened to fight well, had just offered to help him. More than that, she had some ideas and even seemed a bit excited about going about it. "Nel…"

"You're welcome, Albel."

"… Thank you." He sighed in relief. He had been so upset. So downhearted because of all that had just transpired. And now it might all work out. So… perhaps… There was hope after all. But now they had the Creator to deal with.

Fayt couldn't help but be jealous. Albel and Nel had walked off alone. Could he be so angry as to seduce Nel too to get back at them? Was he the type? A lot of people were. Fayt hoped not, but… They had been gone an awfully long time.

When they returned, they seemed a lot closer than before. Fayt sensed no animosity between them anymore either. Jealousy coursed through his veins like lead. His heart dropped down to his bowels in despair. Had they…?

Albel and Nel did look a little sweaty, but there were plenty of enemies. It could have been a fight on the way back or something. But Fayt's fears led him to believe the worst. As it turns out, he was right the first time, but he certainly didn't know that.

Fayt managed to talk to Cliff alone during a battle while they were using standby healing and letting the others fight. Nel and Albel were doing really well together. The jealousy welled up again. "Do you think Albel seduced Nel?" he whispered. "They were gone for a while and they came back kind of sweaty…"

"There are security guards everywhere," Cliff pointed out. "It coulda been a fight. But if they wandered off to talk, what'd they talk about? It's not like Albel really likes Nel." He frowned, watching the two of them together. They had just taken down the security guard and were talking in hushed tones now. Nel hid a smile. Cliff narrowed his eyes. "Or does he?"

Fayt groaned. "No… But…"

"Fayt, it's not like…" He almost said that "it's not like they were together anymore" but he stopped. They were never "together." That wasn't how it had been. He cleared his throat and tried again. "Well, let him do what he wants. It's none of our business."

Fayt tried to protest that, but it died on his tongue. No, it wasn't his business. Not any more. Not after what he had just said. Albel had been upset and hurt. Nel had been the person to come to him. Fayt had been the one to make him upset and hurt. Fayt felt miserable for that.

Cliff looked away. "We should get goin'."

On the fifth floor, when they couldn't continue any farther, the security guards swarmed around them like roaches before spilled food. Fayt stepped nervously behind Cliff. He felt just a little safer that way, but what could they do against this many guards?

A locked door opened. "This way!" a woman shouted from behind the formerly locked passage. They hesitated, but only once before running after her. If this was another trap, they were already cornered and outnumbered anyway. What did they have to lose? The door closed behind them, sealing the guards outside.

After a brief introduction, the woman led them to a safer place up ahead. Her name was Blair, and seemed to know all about what was going on.

Blair and the others who constructed the Eternal Sphere were opposed to what "the Creator" was doing, and they wanted the Eternal Sphere placed in a museum where it could no longer be interfered with.

The programmers gave Fayt an uninstaller that seemed like it would solve their problem with the Executioners. The only real issue was that it wouldn't work unless the program ran inside the Eternal Sphere. Thus, the problem was getting back to the Eternal Sphere, considering that they couldn't get to Gemity from the Sphere Company any more. Blair told them that there was a way there, but the location proposed a slight problem.

No matter; they had to do it, so any problem they encountered, they would just have to tackle.

As they made their way there, the Owner, Luther, held a brief conversation with Blair that more or less proclaimed her a traitor. He also mentioned something about "corruption." Fayt wondered at that. What was corrupted? What was wrong with Symbology? He didn't think too much of Symbolical Genetics himself, but why was it considered "corrupt"? Or was it because it made them dangerous—their existence in the 4D world being proof of that?

As expected, security showed up soon. Blair seemed to know them and pleaded with them not to attack, but they did anyway. One of the security guards mentioned something that Fayt didn't like. What was wrong with the program Blair had written? What had the Owner done?

Before he could get any more information, the man died though, and Blair commented about their power. Maria regarded her with open suspicion, bordering on aggression. Blair was thankfully not offended, and it helped that Maria apologized.

They headed on to the elevator up to the 211 floor where the terminal was.

They were transported to Planet Styx. Sophia yelped in terror. Weapons were drawn; there were Executioners there, as if they had been waiting for them. They probably had.

The first fight was with a Proclaimer, but Sophia still wasn't finished by the end of the fight, and they were soon attacked again. After the second fight with the Enforcer, the uninstaller activated. Sophia looked extremely relieved that she hadn't let everyone down.

The Executioners were gone. Just vanished.

Fayt felt relieved—the threat was taken care of and the sense of accomplishment was pleasing. However… it also meant that he had to decide what to do now. He glanced at Cliff, then to Albel. Was it goodbye then?

He didn't get far in his thoughts, though. The ground shook in a way that was like an earthquake, but it wasn't anything natural. Fear raced through the group. What now?

A dark-looking enemy loomed toward them. It was smaller than the others, but more powerful. When they defeated it, the victory was close. Sophia cast Fairy Light, and had to heal Fayt a second time to get to full health. His HP had gotten pretty low in the fight. He had pushed Cliff out of the way of an attack near the end, saving Cliff from more or less instant death, but had paid for it and lost most of his health in the process. He hadn't been able to help it. He had seen Cliff about to get hurt and his body had just reacted.

Blair managed to contact them and informed them of the trouble that the security guard had mentioned. The Owner had prepared a security program in the event the uninstaller ran, which had been the new Executioner, the Convictor.

That left only one thing to do: They had to get to Luther himself and convince him to uninstall the program, and they were prepared to use force if necessary.

As it turned out, they needed what they called an OPA to get to the Creator. The path was already open; they knew where one was: The Sacred Orb on Elicoor II.

They headed back to the shuttle they had left in the hopes of it still operating. However, they found it in ruins.

Fayt felt like he might throw himself on the ground and wail. All this, and they were stuck. They had found out where to go, they had a way to save their galaxy now, and this?

Maria and Cliff desperately fiddled with their communicators.

"Any transmissions?" Fayt asked hopefully. It was a bit much to hope for a transmission way out here. Styx was so far away from the other planets and was pretty much useless anyway, and off-limits besides. What ship could be close enough for their communicators to contact? Moreover, what ship could be left out there?

Hope flared anew though. The _Diplo_ was close enough for contact. Apparently, they had gotten worried and came to Styx in their absence in hopes of news. The relief was evident on everyone's facial expressions that they weren't stranded.

It took a few minutes for the _Diplo_ to set coordinates for the teleporter and to get close enough for it. Fayt fidgeted anxiously. Cliff glanced around, looking for any more Executioners that might be lurking nearby. Albel stretched, pacing restlessly. Sophia finger-combed her hair apprehensively. Maria kept glancing at the sky fretfully. Nel kept touching the hilt of her daggers; it was a comfort thing. It was hard to sit still with disaster so close.

Nel walked over to Maria and said something to her. The two wandered away from the rest of the group, still within eyesight. Fayt looked at them as they spoke, straining and failing to hear the words. Their voices were too low. Maria glanced at Albel. Fayt paled. Had Nel just told her about her recent relationship with Albel? Girls did things like that—they gossiped and networked. They told each other about things like that.

Maria looked at Albel, Fayt, and briefly at Cliff as her eyes trailed back to Nel. She had only looked at Fayt because he was watching though, he was sure. He quickly averted his eyes, sinking to new depths of despair. So Albel really had moved on to Nel. But Fayt had more or less dumped him. Shouldn't he expect him to move on? But—so fast? Had Fayt and Cliff meant so little to him? Had he only been upset because it meant no more sex?

Why did it upset Fayt so much anyway? It wasn't like… No, he stopped himself in his thoughts right there. No, it wasn't like that at all. But he still felt jealous.

Cliff glanced at the girls. Could Fayt be right? He worried about that. But why worry? Cliff had dumped _him_. Why should he be worried? Even though it was unreasonable, he was still concerned though.

Finally, they were teleported up and they set coordinates for Elicoor.

Nel pulled Albel aside on the ship. "Fayt's jealous already," she said, looking pleased. He frowned. "This may be easier than I thought if he's already jealous of me."

Maria assigned all the guests rooms. She had been let in on the goings-on and assigned Fayt and Albel to the same room, as they didn't have enough spare rooms to give everyone a separate room. When no one was looking, she winked at Albel. He caught the meaning. They really were helping. Moreover, the girls' scheming was _working_.

Nel and Maria conversed again briefly and Nel took Albel to her room so they could discuss a few more things. To give them some privacy, Maria gave Sophia a tour of the ship.

Fayt's jealousy burned with the white-hot intensity of a thousand suns. Could they make it _any_ more obvious? Albel was in Nel's room right now! _Right now!_ Alone together!

He paced restlessly inside his room, then walked outside. He paced again then found himself staring at the door to Nel's room. He hesitated and walked over to the door, listening, his curiosity getting the better of him. He just _had_ to know if his suspicions were correct or not.

Nel suddenly lowered her voice and finished what she had been saying as they went over their game plan. Albel was feeling suddenly rather good about this. And, that the threat wasn't over was actually beneficial in a small way; it gave them more time to follow-through. "I think _he's_ listening at the door." She grinned. "You want to work on the jealousy factor a little more?"

Albel knew how jealous Fayt was already. Too much more and he might just burst—and when he did, Albel knew what to do. In fact, getting him to burst was the entire plan. "Yes," he whispered. He dropped down on the bed noisily, making it _very_ obvious that the bed was moving. He let out a long, deep, exaggerated and feigned moan. "Nel…"

Nel stuck a finger in her mouth, noisily sucking on it to mimic another sound. She let out a deep, throaty moan. Fayt's eyes widened. Albel fell on the mattress. With his legs, he moved the mattress back and forth against the headboard. Nel tried not to laugh—and that was the most difficult part. Albel remembered all the sounds he had made with Fayt and Cliff and mimicked the lower, quieter ones. Fayt's jealous rage couldn't tell the difference. Nel raised an eyebrow. She pulled her finger out of her mouth, tilted her head back and moaned as loudly as she could without it sounding false. "Oh, my goddess!" she cried. "You are _amazing_!"

Albel knew what she meant. "Amazing" as in "an amazing fake." "Nel… Ah! You feel so good…" he said as he sarcastically rolled his eyes. She smiled and choked back a laugh, ending up making a strangled choking sound.

Fayt had heard enough. Face completely red and horrified, he fled.

Nel paused. "He's gone."

Albel sat back up. "Finally." This was going to be one interesting night though. The two resumed going over the game plan. When they finished, Albel left the room to go to the room he and Fayt shared. However, when he got there, Fayt wasn't there.

Fayt had gone to Cliff's room, begging him to let him sleep on his couch. "I can't face Albel," he pleaded. "I _heard_ him having sex with Nel."

"You're just jealous," Cliff pointed out. "And you dumped him for Sophia. So don't get pissy about it." Being so rude was how Cliff was coping. Furthermore, he had to tell himself much the same thing—over and over again. And he didn't dare say out loud what he felt when Fayt had told him what he had heard. The envious feelings were overwhelming. And even still, he felt attracted to the two warriors. Was it really the right decision to end this? Yes, of course it was. It made more sense. It was the natural way of things. But…

"But doesn't it mean he was just using us? And now he's using Nel?" Fayt said. He looked so hurt.

Cliff wanted to hold him and comfort him. Take him to bed with him… No, he couldn't let his thoughts go there. Not anymore. "Fayt, get over it. Go to your own room."

"Cliff…" But the Klausian was adamant and eventually picked him up and set him down outside the door. Fayt, feeling sullen, walked back to his room. He had been expecting to find it empty, but Albel was inside. Already finished with Nel? Looking at him made Fayt want to cry. Albel had never had any feelings for them at all? They were just sex toys to him? But of course they were. It was wrong to think otherwise.

Fayt turned his back to him as his eyes watered. He still wanted Albel. Still wanted Cliff. And why couldn't they… No, he knew why. That was how it had to be—how it must be. He had even said so. But…

He kicked off his shoes, and removed most of his clothes. He grabbed the blanket on the end of the couch and curled up on the couch, pulling it over his head, both to block out the light and to hide his face, and his tears.


	14. Chapter 14

Sorry my updates haven't been as on-time as usual. I'm getting in a sort of flump. I WILL finish this though. However, next week, instead of updating, I'm going to focus on editing and revising the previous chapters as well as work on the next couple chappies.

So I said I would make up for my CliffxAlbel fangirl-ism and here it is:

**Chapter Fourteen**

_Conversion_

Albel stood watching Fayt for a good long time. Fayt was silent when he cried, but his shoulders were shaking and his body trembled every now and then. He switched the light off and paused, watching him. He had cried himself to sleep. Should he just leave it be for now? No. This was a good opportunity; he shouldn't let it go to waste.

He kneeled by the edge of the couch, biding his time and waiting until Fayt fell in to a deeper sleep. A wispy sigh escaped from Fayt's lips followed by a groan. He thrashed his legs briefly and kicked the blanket off of his face. He rolled over slightly. He looked like he had been crying; his eyes were puffy and red. There was an eyelash stuck to his face from rubbing his eyes. Albel supposed it was actually a good thing. It meant that the little act got to him. Maybe this would be simpler than he had thought.

Nel had been more concerned about Cliff than Fayt. Perhaps she was right about that. Fayt was younger and more malleable.

Fayt turned his head from side to side. Having a nightmare? Albel leaned back, quietly pulling off his gauntlet. It would get in the way. He set it down and looked back at Fayt. He still was sleeping only fitfully. Albel took off his shoes and poked Fayt's nose experimentally. His nose wrinkled and he turned away, but his eyes stayed closed. Good.

Albel wriggled his fingers and then his hands underneath Fayt. Fayt twisted slightly, but still didn't rise. He held his breath and pushed his arms under him too. The Earthling sighed, rolled again, and stilled. Slowly, carefully, the Glyphian lifted him off of the couch. In a way, it was beneficial that there was only one bed and a sofa. The blanket slipped to the floor.

Fayt stirred briefly and he froze mid-stride. _Don't wake up!_

Fayt's eyes fluttered, then he stilled, leaning his head toward Albel's chest. He smiled contentedly in his sleep, the nightmare calmed. That, more than anything, confirmed it for Albel. Fayt really didn't want their relationship to end, no matter what he had said earlier.

Very gently, he laid Fayt down in the bed. Fayt groaned unhappily once Albel set him down. Unhappy to be away from him? He hoped so.

He slid in to bed with Fayt, pulling him over to him. Fayt stirred and very nearly woke, then calmed, sighed, and snuggled into the blankets. Albel closed his eyes. What to do? He really wanted to wake him. But would Fayt get angry if he did? Would he just throw a fit and go back on the couch?

Well, he imagined that Fayt would be none too pleased when he woke up in bed with Albel anyway. Maybe it would be better if he woke now…

Albel leaned down toward him and softly kissed his lips. Fayt kissed him back automatically, and his eyes opened slowly. When he realized what was going on, his eyes snapped open wide in surprise.

"Albel!" he cried. He shot upright, realizing that he was not where he had fallen asleep. "What… Why'd you move me?" _And why, oh why, am I in bed with you?_ He thought of what he had overheard earlier. So Nel hadn't been enough for him?

He didn't say anything, mostly because the truth was sort of difficult for him. He _wanted_ Fayt to be in bed with him. And Fayt had looked uncomfortable on the couch anyway. "Be quiet." He sat up and pushed Fayt back down on to the bed. Fayt struggled against him and might have won had Albel not shifted over him and crushed him to the bed.

"Don't you have Nel? Leave me alone," Fayt said bitterly.

"Nel?" Albel wondered quizzically. He had temporarily forgotten about the woman, then recalled what Fayt had overheard earlier. "Oh. _That_."

"Yes, 'that'!" he cried. "So leave me alone!"

Albel silenced his screaming with another kiss. "I told you to 'be quiet.'"

Fayt looked mournful. "But why do you want _me_? That's not fair, Albel," he snapped. "You have Nel too, don't you?"

Albel smiled. "No."

The Earthling frowned in confusion. "But… No, I _heard_ you…"

Albel kissed him affectionately. "What you 'heard' was an act." He ran his fingers along Fayt's chest, toying with the zipper on his shirt. "To get you to stop eavesdropping. Nothing more."

"Then… what were you doing in Nel's room?"

"What do you do when you go to Sophia's room?"

Fayt blinked. "Well, we just talk…"

"Precisely." He unzipped Fayt's shirt.

Fayt grabbed Albel's wrists in both hands, pulling them away from him. "We agreed to stop this!" he cried desperately. "Albel…!"

"No," Albel hissed. Fayt froze, eyes locked on Albel's. He looked frightening right now, in the dark. "_You_ agreed to stop this. You and Cliff. _I_ didn't."

Fayt glared at him, his grip on Albel's wrists tightening. "So you'll _rape_ me because you can't have me anymore?"

Albel's eyes widened. His arms went slack. He wrenched his arms away from Fayt and got off of him. "No. Never," he whispered.

Fayt sagged in relief. Or was it disappointment? He wanted Albel. He knew that—very well. And it hurt like this. Why did he have to say that? Now he had stopped… and some part of Fayt hadn't wanted it to stop.

The Elicoorian sighed to himself. Fayt wasn't interested after all. No, he was, he just fought it. Well, he was no good to him if he had to force him. Fayt had to come to the mutual conclusion that ending their rather off-beat relationship was stupid if they all felt the same way. And that, he had to decide on his own. Albel stood up and went over to the couch. He picked up the blanket that had fallen to the floor earlier and lay down, back to Fayt. Fayt rolled over, trying to ignore it.

The guilty feeling permeated his being. They should both be on the bed. Moreover… they should both be doing something more than sleeping right now. Stupid! _Why_ had he said that? Should he just leave it be? He turned his head and looked at Albel on the couch. He really didn't want to leave it be.

He sat up. "A… Albel? Are you awake?"

"Mm-hmm," he grumbled.

Fayt cleared his throat. "Will you… come back to bed, Albel?" Only silence from the other. The Earthling looked down. "Please? I'm sorry I said that… I just…" He looked up. "I really do want you."

Albel sat up, but his back was still to Fayt. "Then will you talk to Cliff about revoking your previous decision?"

Fayt hesitated. That was asking an awful lot. It had been his idea, and talking to Cliff about revoking it would just be… But hadn't he regretted the decision as soon as he made it? And it wasn't like Fayt didn't want Cliff too. He nodded once. "I'll talk to Cliff."

_Nel had been right-on_. She had specifically insisted that he convince Fayt to talk to Cliff instead of Albel convincing both of them. This would be much more effective. She had said that it had been Maria's idea too, so he had to give her some credit as well. Things were definitely looking up from earlier. He stood up and walked over to the bed. Fayt moved over. He still hadn't zipped his shirt up again. Albel glanced at Fayt's exposed chest. He had said that he wanted him.

Albel pulled off the rest of his clothes and crawled on to the bed. He leaned over Fayt. Fayt lifted his head up and kissed Albel. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "We never should have parted." _I want to be with you_._ Both of you._

"It won't be long," Albel said quietly. "The three of us will be back together soon. Remember to talk to Cliff." The last bit he said quite seriously and sternly. Fayt nodded that he would, his fingers trailing along Albel's bare torso. The blanket separated them, but not for long. Fayt's clothing was in the way, but soon it was lying carelessly on the floor. Fayt's limbs wrapped around Albel.

Albel's fingers probed between Fayt's legs. Fayt looked up at Albel. "I can't wait for that," he pleaded. _I thought I was going to lose you forever._ Fayt pushed Albel up and leaned forward, his head between Albel's legs. He trailed his tongue teasingly along the Elicoorian's perfectly toned thighs, nibbling playfully at his skin. He ran his tongue along Albel's erect member, covering the head with his mouth. For a bit, he only teased him, and then worked at lubricating him with his saliva. Albel gave a sharp gasp, jerking his hips. Fayt gagged, tilting his head back a bit to calm his gag reflexes. He sat back and pulled Albel back on top of him. Albel positioned himself with one hand, kissing Fayt's lips softly.

Fayt took a calming breath, releasing the tension in his thighs to make entry smoother. He gasped at the rough entry, cringing when the other pushed all the way in. For a brief time, Albel just held him, patiently waiting for Fayt's pain to fade. When it did, he rocked gently in and out of him until Fayt was ready for something faster paced.

A thin sweat was breaking out over Fayt's body as he panted with need. "Harder," he whispered. Albel was only too happy to comply with that demand. Fayt choked back a wail, suddenly wishing he didn't have to. Maybe one day… But not now anyway. As Albel pounded in to him harder, it became more and more difficult to keep from crying out. Face flushed, he covered his mouth with a hand as he tried to choke back his wails of pleasure. Fayt's back arched. Albel licked Fayt's nipples, running his fingertips along his thighs. Fayt was trying so hard not to be too loud—and he looked good with his face flushed in so much pleasure.

"Harder!" he cried, pushing back against Albel. Sweat dripped from Albel's brow, wetting his hair as he met the other's demands. How demanding little Fayt was being—but at least he was so eager. "Harder!" Albel kissed Fayt, then pulled back, resituating to a better position. He disentangled himself from Fayt and balanced his ankles on his shoulders. Now, he could give in to Fayt's lusty demands. Albel took a deep breath before he knew he wouldn't get the chance to. Fayt refused to wait for him. He held on to Albel's waist and slid back and forth on him, shuddering, gasping. Albel moaned.

The Elicoorian grabbed Fayt's hips and pounded in to him, making the bed shake. Fayt groaned loudly, then clamped his hand over his mouth to muffle the scream that erupted from his throat—unable to hold it back. He released, still screaming and panting. His scream—what Albel could hear of it—had been delicious. He moaned. He liked pleasuring Fayt, and he liked seeing how desperately Fayt tried to be quiet, and he _loved_ it when Fayt couldn't do it because of what he was doing to him.

Albel twisted, jerking his hips one last time before he reached his limit. He sagged, breathing hard. He fell down beside Fayt. They panted, trying to catch their breath before they fell asleep in a tangle of sticky limbs.

While all _that_ was going on, Nel and Maria drug Sophia to Maria's room. There, they had a "girl night." This was all part of Nel and Maria's brilliant scheme to brainwash—that is, change—Sophia's mind about boys on boys.

For a while, they did typical girl things, such as paint each other's toenails. The distinct smell of nail varnish permeated the room. Maria had found just the right shade of red that matched Nel's hair and Sophia was busy applying it to her toenails. It was kind of nice to do something girly once in a while. Both Maria and Nel had to do so much dirty work—like fighting and whatnot—that it was kind of nice to do something _feminine_ for a change.

"I used to do this with Mirage when I was younger," Maria commented as she dug through her nail varnish, trying to find a good shade for Sophia. "Once, Cliff came back to _Diplo_ drunk and passed out in the hallway. Mirage and I painted his toenails bright pink."

Sophia giggled. "I used to blackmail Fayt in to sitting still while I painted his fingernails," she said.

"How about this one?" the blue-haired girl asked the brunette as she held up a bottle of deep purple varnish.

"Oh, I like it!"

"Perfect." She set it aside and started trying to find one for herself.

"We should put on some music or a movie—or something," Sophia suggested.

Maria felt pleased. She hadn't even had to bring it up. She got up from the floor and walked over to her computer, flipping through her movie database. "I have a new shounen-ai," she commented. "I haven't seen it yet—how about that?"

Sophia wrinkled her nose. "What's 'shounen-ai'?"

"I'll put it on and you can find out for yourself." Maria sent the movie to her television. The screen flicked on and started playing the movie. Maria adjusted the sound.

"Now, Nel, you're not allowed to move until the paint dries," Sophia said severely. Nel inspected her freshly painted toes. "What do you think?"

"You're good at this," the redhead commented.

Sophia smiled, pleased with herself. "Thanks. Who's next?"

"You are," Maria said. "Nel, can you pick one for me?"

"Certainly."

Sophia got comfortable, feet exposed. She glanced up at the screen and watched for a while. It took her about fifteen minutes in to the movie to get the idea of what shounen-ai was all about. "So… Wait, is that really a boy?"

Maria glanced up, then back at the brush and Sophia's toenails. "Yep."

"And the other one is a… boy?"

"Oh, yeah. I'm a big shounen-ai fan." She finished off one nail casually. "Two boys kissing and stuff is—well, hot."

Sophia wrinkled her nose. "How is it 'hot'?"

Nel jumped in to the conversation. "Do you like boys?"

"What? Well… yes…"

"What about two cute boys together?"

She blinked. "Well… Yeah… I… guess so."

"Do… say… Fayt and Albel look good together?" Nel asked suggestively.

Sophia giggled—a little nervously. An image of what she had seen by accident flashed before her mind's eye. "Um… Well…"

Maria rolled her eyes with obvious delight. "Oh, yes. They look _great_ together." Now might be an appropriate time to mention that Maria is a FaytxAlbel type of fangirl. This has no influence whatsoever on the plotline, but it's an interesting piece of information nevertheless.

Nel schooled her facial expression to something more teacher-like and looked at Sophia intently. "So, what if they were… embracing?"

Maria's toes curled in glee. Sophia had a weird expression on her face. "Well… That's sort of… unlikely… with Albel's personality… I mean…"

Little did _she_ know. "Ignore his personality. Personality is not a factor. Just picture them together."

Sophia's mind trailed back to the threesome image, then did a 180 and went to something much more softcore not involving Cliff, as he hadn't been added to the equation yet. "Well… I suppose… I see what you mean."

"Good. Now imagine them leaning in for a kiss."

"What!" Sophia cried. "K-Kiss?"

Nel scowled. "Yes, 'kiss.' Just do it." Sophia obediently did so. "Now what do you think?"

Sophia glanced at the television, watching the absolutely adorable main character doggedly chase after the really hot guy of his dreams. Perhaps… there was something… attractive. But that image of the threesome still had been a little too much for her and it tainted her mind badly. Like doctoring a photo, her mind suddenly shaved out everything but Fayt and Albel, then shaved off everything from mid-chest down and slapped clothing on them. Much better! In fact… Sophia blushed. "Well… I suppose that's… sort of… appealing…"

_Success!_ Well, some success. Sophia wasn't a raving yaoi fangirl who needed Boys Love like life's blood yet, but she seemed to be a little more accepting. The peer pressure must have helped.

Maria felt pleased. _Very_ pleased. She glanced up at the screen. "Sophia, watch the movie," she instructed. Sophia looked at the screen. Nel looked up out of curiosity. The two boys were, at this time, leaning in for their first kiss. Sophia's mouth dropped in astonishment. Not "astonishment" that the two boys were kissing, surprisingly, but "astonishment" because she _wasn't_ astonished that they were kissing.

The kiss ended. "What do you think?" Nel asked Sophia.

Sophia's face coloured. "Well, _that's_ not bad. But… what about like…" Her mouth twisted as she tried to think of what to say. "What about things that… go farther than that?"

Maria shrugged a shoulder. "That's 'hentai.' Hentai is pretty good sometimes," she admitted. "I like softcore and hardcore—depends on my mood. But plenty of fans can't stand the hardcore."

Sophia frowned. "But what about in real life?" she wondered. "What if that happened in real life?"

Nel shrugged. "Well, what's wrong with that? If they're happy, then it doesn't matter." She glanced at her toenails, which were dry. "If you like someone, it shouldn't matter if they're the same sex as you."

Maria gave Nel a vague thumbs-up.

A knock was at the door. Mirage poked her head in. She smiled upon seeing Maria actually doing something more befitting of her age. It felt good to see her doing something that most teenagers did. She needed a break once in a while. "Don't stay up too late. We'll have a long day tomorrow."

Maria smiled in that Mirage was coming with them. Did they need to work on Mirage too? Yes, Cliff was involved; they needed to work on Mirage. "We won't. We'll just finish this movie and go to bed," she assured her.

"What are you watching?" she asked, leaning in the doorway casually.

"A shounen-ai I recieved from my 'yaoi group,'" Maria answered.

Mirage laughed. She had known Maria liked things like that. "You and your boys love."

Maria pointed at her with the small brush. "Hey, two boys are cute together."

Mirage laughed. "You don't want _boys_. You want_ men_."

Maria and Nel laughed good-naturedly. Sophia felt embarrassed. "Sophia still isn't quite sure how she feels about it," Nel commented.

"'There is no girl who doesn't like yaoi,'" Maria quoted. She raised an eyebrow at Mirage. "Right, Mirage?"

The blonde chuckled. "Personally, I like my men to look like men, but you're probably right about that. Goodnight, everyone." This meant that she didn't like Albel very much, by the way, and is more likely to be a FaytxCliff sort of fangirl.

They said their "goodnights" and Mirage went to bed. After the movie, Sophia headed to the bathroom and Nel stayed behind to help Maria pick up the varnish.

"That worked out well," Maria said.

Nel nodded her agreement. "Mirage seemed pretty accepting too, so maybe this won't be as difficult as it sounds." Now is as good a time as any to point out Nel's personal pairing preference, considering that everyone else's preference was accounted for already: She was a CliffxAlbel type of fangirl. For the record, Sophia was still undecided.

Maria nodded. "Sophia is coming around. We'll do some more peer pressure though. And it'll take some work getting the _three_ of them back together again." She considered for a moment. But about the fangirl-ism, Nel and Maria really liked the threesome best. The entertaining thing was that the two of them had, in hushed tones, giggled to themselves about relationships between the three as it was, and when they found out that there was more truth to their "stories" than they had believed, well, that was just fantastic. "Could you check in with Albel in the morning—see how tonight went?" She grinned at the thought that something good may have happened. She was a little mournful that there wasn't a security camera in the room whose footage she could watch later though.

Nel smiled, pleased. "Yes, I'll do that. We need a plan to work on Cliff now."

"Leave it to me," Maria said. "I'll think of something."

Little did she know that things were already in motion; Fayt had agreed to talk to Cliff after all.

The next morning, as planned, Nel went to get an update on the situation from Albel before they left _Diplo_. He said, in so many words, that things had most definitely improved. Nel raised an eyebrow and took that to mean that something sexual had happened. She wasn't at all wrong. She, in turn, updated him on Sophia, and mentioned Mirage briefly as well.

"Fayt agreed to talk to Cliff about revoking their decision to disband our relationship," Albel added.

Nel perked up. "Good. That'll make things a bit easier. Keep it up."

"Oh, I will."

In fact, at that very moment, Fayt was standing in Cliff's room, preparing to speak to him. He hesitated, then thought briefly of Albel. He looked at Cliff miserably. How was he going to _do_ this?

"If you have something to say, say it," Cliff insisted. "You came in here. Now tell me what's up."

He sighed. "It's about… Well, you… Me… Albel…"

Cliff frowned. "Fayt, it was your idea. I agree that we need to move on."

Fayt ground his teeth. "No. I've thought about it—really thought about it. Albel is right. If we're so concerned about other people finding out, why'd we do this to begin with?" he wondered. For the first time, it really made sense. It truly made sense. Was he embarrassed to say that he had had sex with Cliff and Albel? Yes, a little. But being with them was blissful. Why was that something to be ashamed of? He enjoyed being with them. So why hide it if he was happy? "And if either of us was really more interested in Sophia—or Mirage—then why did this start anyway?"

Cliff didn't know what to say. He just stared at Fayt, trying to come up with a good answer for both of those questions. None came to mind. Not a single retort. It had struck a cord with him.

"Please, Cliff…" _You were my first_, Fayt thought desperately. _Don't do this to me_._ You got me in to this. Don't…_ "I was happy with the three of us together. Can't we be together?"

Finally, the Klausian pulled himself together. "We're three different species. All of us live in different parts of the universe. After this adventure is over—presuming we win anyway—what would you do? Even if we did 'come out of the closet' with our relationship, as it were, what then?"

Fayt was silenced temporarily. "…" He found his voice suddenly. "We'll figure it out when we get there. For the time being, can't we just 'be'? Can't we just be happy, especially if we might die soon?"

Cliff fell silent again. Part of him wanted to give in, but he knew that the repercussions may not be worth it.

Fayt took a deep breath. "I'm going to go. Would you think about it?"

It was _all_ Cliff could think about.

Fayt looked sullen to Albel, which meant he had probably spoken to Cliff and it hadn't gone too well. They teleported out of Diplo down to Aquaria. Albel found an opportunity to ask Fayt about it during a small battle with one of the Executioners roaming around.

Nel, Cliff, and Maria were taking down the Executioner and Mirage was filing her nails listlessly as she sat on a rock apart from them. Sophia was sitting by Mirage, but was silent as she thought about, in an analytical way, BL.

Albel stalked up to Fayt. "You talked to Cliff?"

Fayt stared at him. "Yeah. It didn't go too well."

"I gathered." He shifted a little, waiting for Fayt to continue. Fayt glanced back at the battle and seemed to have no inclination to speak. That bad, huh? "Tell me about it."

The Earthling shook his head in despair. "Cliff hardly spoke to me." He sighed. "He said it was my decision originally. And… that we're three different species—from different places." He laced and unlaced his fingers anxiously, fidgeting. "Also, he asked me what we would do if we win." He looked up at Albel. "What would we do? Each of our homes is on a different planet."

Albel started to reply, shut his mouth, and wondered. Good question. What _would_ they do? After all… What was the best course of action? He didn't care too much about staying on Elicoor, but what about the other two?

Fayt had several ideas on the actions to take. One, was to just continue this relationship—with or without Cliff and preferably with—and go their separate ways after the mess with the Creator was sorted out. Option two was to end it once and for all. He didn't like option two. Option three… Option three involved the three of them together, but how? And where?

He was still sorting out "Option Three." The last option was unclear completely. _Was_ there even a way to make that last one happen?

"I feel miserable," Fayt muttered under his breath.

An expression of deep concern and sympathy exactly failed to cross Albel's face. After all, when he heard the word "sympathy" he often had to search for a dictionary, metaphorically speaking. And, seeing Fayt so miserable, while it made him want to cheer him up, he also felt sort of happy in a sadistic kind of way. Not out of any particular malice—today anyway—but because Fayt now looked precisely how Albel had felt when Fayt and Cliff called off their relationship, and misery loves company. "You should; it's your fault," he said, harsh as ever.

Fayt gave him a look that would have made anyone else hug Fayt out of sheer sorrow. Albel, however, was unaffected. He usually kicked people who looked at him like that. Please, Captain, ten minutes! _No. You won't get to have a break on the battlefield. You won't have a break here either._ Which was usually when the man in question fixed him with that particular look, and he kicked him in the kneecap and told them to take a run. "That won't work on me. You fix things with Cliff."

"Remind me again why I like you," he said sarcastically.

Albel glanced at the others. No one was looking. Albel leaned forward and darted his right hand a little up Fayt's shorts, brushing suggestively against his thigh. Fayt shuddered. "This is why."

Fayt looked at him. Albel removed his hand. He had that feeling again that Albel really only liked him as a sex toy. He sighed and looked away. "Do you want to be with us because you like us, or just because you want to get laid by us?"

Albel blinked. This had not been a question he had anticipated. Moreover, it _was_ more than the sex, and that was why he was hesitant to answer. "Don't ask stupid questions, maggot," he snapped and stalked away. Fayt frowned at him, wondering if that meant "the former" or "the latter."

After some deep thought and serious speculation, he realized that it was "the former." He smiled contentedly. Albel was just too out-of-touch with his emotions to admit to something like that. All the same, it still meant something to Fayt, even if he hadn't said it aloud. He suddenly felt rejuvenated and ready to tackle the "Cliff problem" again with renewed energy and determination.

After all, if even Albel felt the same way Fayt did, there had to be some hope for Cliff too.

Fayt's sudden mood change was quite noticeable to the Black Brigade Captain, and he found his behaviour suspicious in the extreme, not to mention disturbing. Hadn't he just snapped at him? What had Fayt derived from that remark? What had he interpreted it as? When Fayt smiled lovingly at him, it made him so uncomfortable that he had to break eye contact and slink to the back of the group again, away from his gaze.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen**

_Rejection_

_Diplo_ teleported them down right outside Aquios. Before they entered Aquios, Nel pulled Albel aside.

"What about Fayt?" she asked.

He glanced at the blue-haired Earthling briefly, then back at her. "Fayt is trying to work on Cliff now," Albel assured her.

She smiled knowingly. "I see. So I take it things went well last night?"

"Mm-hmm," he said, raising an eyebrow so she caught the drift.

Nel almost couldn't contain the "fangirl squee." Somehow, she managed, and composed herself. "I'll be in charge of sleeping arrangements. Would it be better if I put Fayt and Cliff together, or you and Cliff?"  
Albel hesitated. "Put Fayt and Cliff together."

Nel nodded. "Right." She considered other sleeping arrangements. "We have limited rooms right now. A lot of the empty guest rooms are being used for injured runoligists…" She snapped her fingers. "I'll put you with Maria. She had an idea about how to get Cliff to come around, so you and she can talk about that."

"Isn't that 'inappropriate?'"

"Under the circumstances, it's fine." She gave a wicked grin. "Jealousy factor. Warn Fayt first, and hopefully it'll work on Cliff too." Well, it had worked well on Fayt.

Albel wondered at that, but followed the plan. So far, things the two girls cooked up seemed to work well. Fayt didn't like it too much, but decided that he did need to work on Cliff a bit.

They went to Queen Aquaria in the throne room. She was pleasantly surprised to see them, as she had not expected to see them again. They certainly hadn't expected that they would be returning either—except maybe to drop Nel and Albel off.

Executioners were running rampant on Elicoor, and Aquaria and Airygylph were trying to find a way to fend them off, but it wasn't going well. Disheartening news, but if the group succeeded in dealing with Luther, then it shouldn't be an issue.

The queen agreed to let them borrow the Orb. They almost set out immediately for it, but on reflection, decided to do some weapon upgrades first. No telling what they would find down there, after all. Making and refining Orihalcum and Dark Crystals took up most of the morning. They stopped to cook lunch in the workshop (as Misty Lear, Mackwell, and Ansala—their alchemists--demanded a break). While the girls did that, the ones with absolutely no cooking skills whatsoever (Albel, Cliff, and Fayt) wandered off. The girls said that it would be done in about an hour so they could do whatever they liked during that time. Maria and Nel had grinned at Albel after that was said. He scowled at them.

Cliff looked at the other two. An entire hour, huh. It would have been a good opportunity… at one time. He turned and walked away, leaving Fayt and Albel to watch him leave. Fayt took a step closer to Albel automatically, as if he might walk away too. The Elicoorian touched Fayt's arm reassuringly, as if it say 'don't worry; I'm here.'

"We'll get Cliff back," Albel whispered in his ear. He reflected for a moment. Had he told Fayt about Nel and Maria yet? No, he hadn't. He pulled Fayt away, in the opposite direction Cliff had gone. They walked together for a while, until they came to a place where there were no people around. Albel turned and kissed Fayt briefly. "Nel and Maria know."

Fayt's eyes opened wide. "_What_?" he squeaked.

Albel kissed him again. Fayt was still half-panicked though. "Relax. They're helping."

"With what?"

"Maria was the one who put us in the same room, worm. It was Nel who made you jealous." Albel raised an eyebrow. "_Helping_."

"And they'll help with Cliff too? What about Sophia and Mirage, though?"

"They're helping with that too."

Fayt felt his hopes rise. "Really?"

"Mm-hmm."

The Earthling suddenly felt good about their relationship. Not having to hide it… Nel and Maria didn't care that they were all male, and they were even helping. Fayt was so overcome with joy that he threw his arms around the Elicoorian and kissed him—hard and passionate. He broke away. Albel's fingers trailed suggestively along Fayt's spine. Fayt ignored it. He had some more questions he wanted answered, and he refused to be deterred. "So when you were in Nel's room…?"  
"We were talking about what to do about you and Cliff. Nel knew you were there, so we put on a little act for you to get you to stop eavesdropping."

Fayt scowled a bit, kissed Albel again, and asked another question, "What about when we were at Sphere?"

Albel shrugged noncommittally. "Pretty much the same. I was telling Nel about what had happened, and then she said she wanted to help."

"But you two seemed so close."

Albel kissed Fayt briefly. "Wouldn't you be grateful to someone who just volunteered to help you in a dismal situation?"

"So you don't hate her anymore?"

Albel chuckled and kissed Fayt again, a long kiss this time. "How could I hate someone who helped me get you back, and is helping with our other problems too?"

Fayt smiled and locked his lips on Albel's again. They kissed for so long that even the nearby birds felt embarrassed to be near. Fayt moaned, reaching one of his hands into the slit on Albel's skirt. The other groaned, then realized something and let go of Fayt. He danced out of his grip, shaking his head. "No; we'll both smell like semen for the rest of the day." Probably longer. No telling when they'd get to stop for a bath next.

Fayt scowled. "But… I'm already…"

Albel glanced down. He smiled. "Well, then." He looked around and pulled Fayt down a darker alley, gently pushed him against a wall. He kneeled down, unbuttoning and unzipping Fayt's shorts. He pulled out his erection. Fayt panted with need. Albel touched the tip with his tongue, rolling his tongue over the head, teasing Fayt. He gave a sucking kiss to the head, and drew more of him in to his mouth. He took a deep breath and pushed all the way to the base, swallowing deeply. His eyes watered slightly. He breathed inward. Fayt moaned, throbbing. Albel drew his head back, working up some more saliva in his mouth with his tongue. He coated him completely, sliding his saliva over Fayt, spreading it with his tongue. He nibbled gently. Fayt's hand touched the side of Albel's face.

Albel trailed his fingertips along Fayt's testicles. Fayt bit his lip to keep from crying out. He was so sensitive. He cupped them, kneading them gently as he pushed Fayt to the back of his throat again. He forced him down farther. His lips touched Fayt's blue pubic hair. Fayt let out a deep, throaty moan. He panted heavily. He jerked his hips, thrusting in to Albel's mouth. Albel gagged, but didn't pull back. He moved his tongue, and his hand. Fayt groaned one last time. Albel swallowed the hot, watery semen. Not a drop spilled from his mouth. He pulled back, one last lick to the head, cleaning it off.

Albel straightened. Fayt looked flushed. He was leaning heavily against the wall, and didn't seem inclined to move. Albel fixed Fayt's shorts, as Fayt was making no move to do so. When Fayt recovered, they took a walk to a store; Fayt's throat was horribly dry from all the panting and Albel wanted something cold to soothe his throat.

They returned in time for lunch.

Sophia glanced from Mackwell, in the background poring over a book, to Albel, who was sitting at the table more poking at the plate of food than actually eating it. "Is it just me or do Albel and Mackwell look really similar?" she wondered aloud.

Nel looked up and looked at one and then the other. "They really do look just alike," she commented.

"I think it's their hair and eyes," Mirage said.

"Buffoons," Albel snorted. No one paid him any heed. It's really the only way to handle him sometimes.

Maria frowned in thought. "There are differences though."

"Like what?" Cliff wondered. "Dye their hair and have them switch outfits. So long as they kept their mouths shut, you'd never be able to tell the difference."

Albel felt mildly offended at this. "Mildly" hardly described the situation though. His claw dug in to the table. Wood splintered. Everyone very calmly lifted their plates and glasses off of the table and took a step or two away from it. Cliff started to get up and run as soon as he realized that he was in potential danger. Too late. Albel flipped the table at Cliff. The table hit him in the back and crushed him flat. Albel, still angry, stomped on the table, grinding Cliff further in to floor. Cliff groaned and muttered something under his breath about Albel being a "little bitch." This was doing nothing to help their situation with Cliff, by the way. Fayt sighed. Albel needed to learn to control his temper, and Cliff needed to learn not to provoke the Glyphian.

"Maggot," Albel snarled, hopping off of the table. He slammed the door on his way out. Business as usual. Mirage righted the table. Everyone sat back down as if nothing had ever happened. Cliff complained, but no one listened to him, as he should really know better by now and thus it was his own fault anyway. Conversation resumed.

Fayt shook his head. "I disagree. Mackwell looks more dismal, and Albel looks mean. Albel's hair is also a little longer in the front too."

"Mackwell has better posture," Maria added.

"But they do look disturbingly similar," Sophia pressed. The others all agreed, with the exception of a certain swordsman who was no longer present to be disagreeable.

"I feel as though I should be offended," Mackwell commented as he walked past them, outside to continue reading, where it was quiet and he didn't have to hear others compare him to "Albel the Wicked."

After lunch, they went back to honing their weapons, this time with synthesis. This took a good long time, and it was getting dark by the time they were finished with all of them. Albel came back sometime during this time, so they improved his weapon as well. They discussed briefly if they should continue to the Shrine, but everyone was tired anyway, so they didn't. It was decided that they would set out in the morning, first thing.

Nel played her role well and assigned the rooms, pointing out that they had limited space because of injured runologists.

Nel pretended to think. "Sophia and Mirage, Cliff and Fayt… Albel and Maria, then? Are you two both all right with that arrangement?" Nel had her own room, so she wasn't even an option.  
"I don't care," Albel replied.

Maria shrugged. "Doesn't matter to me."

Cliff's expression was one of a typical father when he discovers his daughter's roommate is a male, and, worse yet, a male he knows to be promiscuous and good-looking—the worst kind. "No. Absolutely not," he snapped.

Maria scowled. "Cliff, I'm perfectly old enough—"

"No. Albel, you room with Fayt. I'll stay with Maria."

She ground her teeth in fury. "Cliff—"

Mirage stepped in, like the mild-mannered mother who trusts her daughter to make the right decision and sees nothing wrong with her sharing a room with a guy. "Cliff, Maria is old enough and mature enough to make her own decisions. Don't worry about it."

Behind Mirage, Albel grinned at Cliff. Cliff looked as though he were having trouble deciding whether he wanted to pound Albel in to a flan pudding or drown him in a pool of his own blood.

Fortunately, Mirage stood adamantly between them. Albel glanced at Maria, giving her a very obvious once-over that she didn't notice, as she was turned talking to Sophia about something unimportant, like the weather. Cliff's fingers curled in to fists. Pounding the little whore into a pudding, he decided, would relieve more tension. Albel smirked. He rocked back on his heels, glancing at Maria again. Just to add the one snowflake to the mountain that caused the avalanche, he moved his hands about chest high, then lowered them to waist, putting them closer together, then hip-length farther apart again—Maria's measurements. He lifted his eyebrows in the time-old gesture that for some reason men make to indicate that they appreciate whatever body they are looking at. Albel; quite the instigator.

Cliff saw all of this and attempted to lunge at Albel viciously with the intent of a very bloody, painful homicide. Mirage held him back, but barely. "Cliff, trust Maria!"

"I _do_ trust Maria!" Cliff growled. "I don't trust him!"

Albel sneered. Maria scowled, set her gun to "stun" instead of "kill" and shot Cliff squarely in the chest. Cliff fell down and with a second shot, stayed down. Maria marched over to him, pointing the gun at his face in case he decided to try to lunge at Albel again. "And you don't think I can protect myself? Come now."

Albel scowled. Cliff argued, Maria and Mirage argued back. It is useless to describe their conversation, as it sounds just like any other anti-male-roommate conversation that a father figure might have with the mother figure and the daughter figure.

Finally, the blonde relented, steaming. Albel smirked at him, but stayed what he judged to be a healthy distance away nevertheless. Cliff stared, furiously, as Albel and Maria walked off together to their room. Once they arrived there, Maria giggled safely behind the door.

"That worked out well, don't you think?" she asked Albel.

He hid a smile by turning his back to her. Cliff's reaction had been hilarious—really, it was too perfect. He took a deep breath and turned back around, relaxed. "Yes. What was your idea?"

She settled in to business-mode that was her normal self. "Well, when we go down to the Sacred Orb, there's an area that might be difficult to traverse with a large group—you'll understand when we get there—but Nel and I can arrange it so that you, Fayt, and Cliff get a bit behind the rest of us." She raised an eyebrow. "Gives you some time to yourselves you might not get for a while. Sound all right?"

"Yes. Anything else?" Albel was actually glad that Nel and Maria were helping him so much. He didn't do the "networking" and "building relationships" thing very well, and he certainly didn't know anything about this. If not for them, well, things wouldn't be improving.

She nodded again. "Talk to Fayt before you go down there, see how things went with Cliff tonight. If things go badly…"

Fayt tried not to stare at Cliff. He tried very hard and even almost valiantly. He locked his eyes on the dark ceiling and adamantly refused to stare at anything else. The issue was that, sort of like dangling off the edge of a cliff, his eyes kept slipping away, but away from the ceiling instead of safety. His eyes slipped from the rather uninteresting ceiling and fell to the blonde in the bed across from him, and it was much easier to let his eyes rest there, thoughts of what they had done before in this same room flickering in his mind.

The Klausian had his back to him, but he could feel Fayt staring at him on occasion. Neither of them were able to sleep; they were just too restless and too many thoughts careened psychotically in their heads.

Cliff was seriously thinking about his conversation with Fayt this morning, and about how much they had hurt Albel the day before, and how the Elicoorian saw the entire situation. Apparently, Albel had converted Fayt to his manner of thinking, to an extent anyway.

He still wasn't certain about this. He had mixed feelings about the entire matter. Half of him wanted to be with the other two, and half of him screamed warnings in his head about going down that path. Both made valid arguments and it ended in a deadlock, like two equally matched warring nations, each afraid to pounce because neither had an advantage over the other, which left him feeling uneasy with tension.

He also worried about Maria, alone in a room with Albel. A part of him was overcome with jealousy, and the other part just didn't like them alone together. At all.

Fayt wanted to try to say something, but was held back by fear. He wasn't certain if speaking to Cliff would be beneficial right now. Cliff might need some more time to think about things, and he didn't want to try too soon.

He waited for some time. By the way Cliff kept shifting, he could see that he wasn't asleep in the least. Maybe he should go ahead and go for it. Why not?

Fayt lifted his head a bit. "Cliff…"

"Yeah?"

"About this morning—what we talked about earlier, I mean…" Fayt took a deep breath and continued. "I want the three of us to be together again."

Cliff pinched the bridge of his nose. "Fayt?"

"Yes?"

"Shut up."

Fayt fell silent dejectedly. He rolled over. He needed some way to fall asleep, so he thought about sheep. He thought about sheep on farms. He thought about sheep in fields. He thought about different colors of sheep, and different colors of wool from sheep. He thought about prices of wool from sheep, and wool sweaters, and sheep skin coats. He thought about sheep eating grass. He thought about sheep birthing in spring, and ewes. He thought about… The subject was so boring that he fell asleep.

Cliff was not thinking about sheep, so he hadn't bored himself to sleep. He was thinking about Fayt and Albel, like he had been trying to do when Fayt had tried to talk to him. He wasn't done thinking quite yet, weighing the pros and cons. The issue was more the subject matter than the actual topic he was trying to think about. Perhaps it was because Fayt and Albel were central to his thoughts, but he often started thinking about Fayt and Albel naked, beneath him, together, sweat-drenched, messy, and panting. It was distracting in the extreme and slightly annoying because it kept him from seriously thinking about the subject at hand, which was that he needed to decide if he wanted to be with them. And then the cycle would start all over again.

Should I go back to the way things were before all this started? Just keep my distance? Or should I go back to the two of them, and the way things were then? Having sex a lot, trying to be quiet, trying to be careful, hiding…

And then his thoughts would slip to the dark depths of perversion and get seriously off-track.

He was reasonably certain that Fayt and Albel had reconnected. He felt a surge of jealousy, and a deep, carnal urge to go to them too. Visions of Fayt, innocent eyes wide, in a field of green grass, buttercups, and daisies haunted him. Sunlight playing on his skin, and he was naked. Delicious really. Looked like a nymph. The ones of Albel were worse. It may have been his more promiscuous nature, but instead of a picture of innocence, it was dark desire and lust. Albel naked, chained up like he had been down in the dungeon, looking at him, panting, such a look of savage undiluted lust on his face that…

_Albel_… Maria!

That jolted him awake. _Albel, you little _whore_, _he thought angrily. Had he really had sex with Nel? Cliff wouldn't put it past him. Then what about Maria? He couldn't stand wondering. So far, it looked as though the captain of the Black Brigade had seduced anyone he was alone in a room with. He was alone in a room with Maria--his boss and practically his adopted daughter--right now.

Cliff couldn't stand it anymore. He slid quietly out of bed. He wriggled his feet in to his shoes and pulled on his shirt. He glanced at Fayt.

"Cliff…" Fayt murmured. He paused, but Fayt sighed, turned, and settled again. "Sheep," Fayt said matter-of-factly. Dreaming? Cliff stared at him, indecision coursing through him. He really wanted to crawl in to bed with Fayt right now. He let the feeling go like so much unneeded baggage. He shouldn't. But he still walked over to Fayt. Fayt's face wrinkled a little. "Mm…"

Cliff kissed his lips—too soft to wake Fayt. He pulled back and straightened. A wispy sigh escaped Fayt's lips, and he smiled softly in his sleep. Why had he done that? Cliff felt like kicking himself. Stupid! He was getting involved again, _and_ he was beginning to develop emotional attachments. Stupid!

He shook it off and walked out the door. He strode down the hall to where Maria and Albel's room was.

Meanwhile…

Albel had his back to Maria, facing the wall. She was partway undressing—which meant that she was removing her white back skirt, the holster, and her mini jacket. Albel had taken the gauntlet, the collar, his sword, and his shirt off. Maria seemed unfettered by him being half-naked, explaining that she had grown up around a lot of guys.

Albel heard someone at the door, angry footsteps marking who they were. He heard the knob turn. Instincts took over. The angry someone would throw the door open and it would hit Maria. He grabbed her arm. She gave a cry of surprise as he hurled her backward. Automatically and without thinking, she snatched his wrist, pulling him with her. The two tumbled on to the bed, Albel landing on top. It was the worst possible thing that could have happened, for it was Cliff who had thrown the door open.

"It's not what it looks like!" Maria cried.

Albel wheeled away from Maria. He fell down on the other bed, a look of shocked horror on his face. He looked at Cliff, but couldn't think of anything to say. Maria said, "Cliff, that was an accident! He pulled me away from the door so it wouldn't hit me—that's all!"

But Cliff had none of it. They were both half-naked (well, Maria was still wearing half her outfit, but she wore a lot of layers, so half-naked-ish), on a bed. Cliff's fingers curled in to fists. His chest heaved with ire. Like an enraged bull, he charged at Albel despite Maria's pleas. Albel's body reacted to it and he dove to the side instinctively. His mind was still preoccupied as it puzzled over what to do.

Maria stepped between them. Albel glanced at his sword, and his gauntlet, which were lying together, behind Cliff. "Albel, run!" she cried. He judged that he probably wouldn't make it to the sword before the Klausian got a hold of him—and once he had a hold on him, it was all over. Cliff shoved her aside. It gave Albel enough time to dart through the door. He grabbed the door handle on his way past, trusting his momentum to slam the door closed. Cliff threw the door off its hinges and tore off after him, powered by a couple different types of rage. Part of him was angry over what he had seen, in the way a father would be bloody pissed. But another part was outraged because Albel had been his. He wasn't sure which of those types of rage made him want to bury Albel alive, and frankly, didn't care.

Maria sighed and stomped back to Diplo to get some things to fix the door.

He saw the door to the chapel slam ominously closed. He ran through. Albel was fast. He was already to the far side, throwing open another door, and rushing through it. Cliff wasn't tricked. He knew where that door led. He turned and ran down the hall. He nearly collided with Albel. Albel yelped in surprise, backpedaled, and spun around. He tore up the stairs, eyes wide with fright. He had absolutely no doubt in his mind that Cliff would tear him limb from limb if he caught him before his rage subsided. Albel didn't have his sword, or even his claw. He knew he couldn't hope to beat Cliff without a weapon of some sort, so had to rely on speed and endurance. With any luck, he would outrun him and Cliff would give up the chase.

He chanced a glance behind him. Cliff was gaining on him on the stairs. Albel sped up and wheeled around the corner. He broke out in a sprint, and dashed down the opposite stair. Cliff followed like a blood hound.

Albel heard Cliff come rushing down the stairs. He glanced upwards, cringing inwardly. He tripped on the next stair and tumbled down the last four steps. He shakily climbed to his feet, glanced at Cliff, now only a few feet behind him, and sped off again.

He raced out of the castle, bounded down the steps and fled in to the city. Cliff was right behind him, chasing him relentlessly. Albel took a wild, crazy, careening path, and still Cliff was right behind him. Just give up already!

He skidded to a stop when he saw what was in front of him. The river. He glanced to both sides. No escape. No way to go. He glanced at the water nervously, then back at Cliff. He turned to face him. Cliff calmly walked up to him and stood about ten feet away. He had nothing to lose by keeping his distance for now; Albel had no where left to run.

"Cliff, it was an accident," Albel said flatly. "That's all. I'm not interested in Maria." He stared Cliff down the way someone tries to stare down a rabid dog.

Cliff moved forward. "That's not what it looked like."

"I pulled her away from the door when you threw it open so she wouldn't get hit with it. She fell on to the bed, and had grabbed me when she fell, so I fell with her," he explained. "Cliff, you idiot, I'm really only interested in two people." Albel didn't have to say who those two people were.

Suddenly, all of Cliff's rage dissipated. The long run helped. Just as suddenly, his suspicion returned. "What about Nel?"

Albel shook his head. "Nothing. I've never done anything like that with that woman either—and I won't." _Please, Cliff, listen._

Cliff took a step forward. Albel automatically backed up. He heard a pebble skitter and hit the water below. "How can I trust you?"

"Ask Maria. Ask Nel." Albel looked at Cliff, right into his eyes. "Ask Fayt."

Cliff took another step forward. Albel was just within arm's reach. "And wouldn't they lie to help you?"

Albel was at a loss as to how to get out of this situation. Nothing he was saying seemed to be helping. He just wasn't good at this. He searched his mind, body, and soul, and all that returned for a what-to-do scenario was this: "????" Damned useful indeed. Fayt could do it though. Fayt could talk his way out of this situation and get Cliff to see reason. A thought struck him. What would Fayt say? "You can trust me," Albel insisted. "I won't lie to you. I want you and Fayt, not Maria or Nel." He cocked his head to the side. "You want me and Fayt, don't you?"

Cliff faltered. He hadn't been prepared for that. He glanced away. Yes, he did. But… Albel gave an unexpected gasp of surprise and alarm. Cliff's gaze snapped back to the Glyphian swordsman. The earth Albel had been standing on hadn't been very sturdy to begin with, and had crumbled. He saw Albel begin to fall into the water. He had about a two-foot plunge before he would fall in. Cliff lunged forward, grabbing Albel's outstretched hand. He hauled him back, away from the water. He steadied him with a hand around his waist. He pulled Albel with him, away from the edge.

Cliff suddenly realized that Albel was in his arms again. He sighed resignedly and pulled him against his chest. The other closed his eyes contentedly. This was not how he had been expecting this evening to end, and it was very welcome. Much better than fleeing for his life or getting ripped to pieces and buried alive. Especially over something stupid.

Albel would have been content to spend the rest of the evening like that. Sex would have been nice, but this was fulfilling. Had Cliff relented? Had he decided that the decision to "disband" was stupid? Did he agree with him now? Albel's fingers curled in to Cliff's shirt. He just never wanted to move, and actually felt content like this. If Fayt were here too, he could say he was happy, but he would settle for this. After all, he had thought he had lost Cliff too. But perhaps not? He listened to the Klausian's heartbeat and breathed in his unique scent. _Don't let go of me again_.

Cliff just couldn't. Not yet. He still had to think about this. Yes, he wanted Albel and Fayt. But what about Mirage? What about Maria? And _Diplo_ and Quark too? He needed more time. He took a deep breath before he pushed Albel sadly away.

The blonde turned away from the other, and left him standing at the riverside alone and dejected. Albel's whole body trembled. He felt his knees going weak. Cliff had rejected him… really rejected him. Slowly, he sunk to his knees. He continued to tremble slightly, little tremors racking his body, but he never cried.

He wished Cliff had just hit him instead.

When Maria heard Cliff return, she wondered about Albel. When half an hour went by and Albel still hadn't returned, she jumped out of bed and put her shoes on. She left her room and knocked on Nel's door. She explained what had happened. Nel nodded; she had heard the chase. The two went out in the night looking for Albel.

They found him by the river, sitting alone, staring at the water, his knees against his chest, his arms wrapped around his legs—the universal posture that indicated depression of some sort. He didn't seem to be hurt, at least not physically.

"Albel?" Nel called softly. He didn't respond. She raised her voice a little. "Albel?" She came a little closer to him. Maria followed her. "Won't you come back to the castle?"

Still no answer. Maria frowned. "Albel…"

"Go away," he snapped. "Leave me alone for a while."

Nel's gaze softened. Something really bad must have transpired—and something personal too. Instinctively, she wanted to hug him, but knew that that would be received as warmly as a bikini in a snowstorm. "All right. You won't leave us, will you?"

He shook his head.

"He wants to be alone for a while. Let's leave him be," Maria said quietly. She glanced back at Abel. "But if you don't come back in a few hours, we'll come and drag you back. You shouldn't stay out all night; it'll be a long day tomorrow."

Albel sighed, but said nothing. The two girls left worriedly. Maria and Nel came across Fayt in the hallway on their way back. Brilliant!

Fayt looked at them sleepily. "Why are you two up?" he wondered blearily.

"Why are you up?" Maria countered.

"Water," he muttered, holding up a cup of water briefly. He took a sip.

Nel stepped forward. "Fayt, something happened with Cliff and Albel. Albel is down by the river on the west side of town… He seems really upset about something," she hinted.

Fayt's face etched with concern. "On the west side? I'll go see him." Fayt put the cup down in his room and marched off to the spot specified. Albel hadn't moved.

"Albel?" he wondered. He walked over to him. "Hey…"

"Not now, Fayt. Leave me alone."

Fayt was a bit taken back, then he relented. Albel wanted to be alone. He should respect the other's wishes. "Oh… Okay. Maria and Nel said you were down here alone, and I… was worried about you…"

"I'll tell you about it later, maggot. But leave me alone for now."

Fayt shivered in the cold night air and realized Albel was wearing even less than usual. He sighed and walked all the way back to the castle. He knocked on Maria's door, took the blanket from Albel's bed, and walked back down to Albel with it. He didn't say anything, but he wrapped the blanket around Albel's shoulders. He hugged him briefly and left. Albel pulled the blanket a little closer around him.

Fayt glanced back at him. He was worried about Albel. What could make him so sullen? It had something to do with Cliff; that much he knew. But what had happened? It must have been something really bad for him to act like that. Fayt resolved to double his efforts on Cliff. He wondered if he had done the right thing by leaving him alone, then decided that if he had stayed, his lover would just be angry. He sighed, rolled over, and went to sleep worrying about him.

Albel stared at the river, watching the water swirl around the rocks, listening to the burble of the water. It was sort of comforting that Fayt had come down here, and even brought him back the blanket. It didn't quite make up for what Cliff had done earlier, but it helped.

At least he still had Fayt. Cliff may never come around. But he still had Fayt. It was only half of what he wanted though.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter Sixteen**

_Reconnection_

The guardians they had defeated in the Cavern and the Shrine had somehow returned, stronger than before too, and mutated. Was it the result of the Executioners? Could be.

Albel was dispirited, and refused to fight. The way he felt, he didn't much care about the galaxy getting destroyed. He knew that wasn't quite true, but if it got destroyed, it'd fit his mood pretty well.

Fayt had tried to cheer him up, but had failed miserably. Instead, he tried to talk to Cliff, but Cliff just shooed him away again. It all made him feel pretty useless and Albel's mood was contagious to Fayt. Nel and Maria seemed vaguely worried. They whispered to each other about what to do. Fayt didn't know if they made any conclusions or not.

Cliff still had to think about everything, put everything in perspective. He was getting no where with that, and when he looked at Albel, he felt terrible. He wanted to apologize, but how could he? They should never have been together to begin with. Staying separated was for the best, wasn't it? He wasn't so sure. Fayt gave Cliff a pleading look. Fayt was wordlessly begging Cliff to come around, to consider himself and Albel as a part of his life again. He looked away.

They made their way through the shrine and in to the room with the moving blocks of doom. The group was obviously too large to be able to make all the turns together, so they split up. Sophia and Mirage were the first group, and Maria and Nel the second, leaving once the timing was correct to get going again.

Cliff started out. Fayt pulled him back. They could take as much time as they needed and just say that they had complications. "Cliff, please. Let's talk. Let's talk _now_," he said. Albel stood in a corner, head down. He looked like he would very much like the corner to be dark and dreary, but it wasn't.

"What about?" Cliff snapped. His voice had come out a lot harsher than he had intended. Fayt's eyebrows raised in shock. "No… I mean… What about?" That was better.

Fayt blinked twice and recovered. "I want the three of us to be together again," he insisted. "I want you again."

Cliff hesitated and glanced at Albel, who hadn't moved. "Fayt, we already talked about that."

"And I already told you that it shouldn't matter—that it _doesn't_ matter." Fayt glared at him. "I don't care any more. I don't care if Sophia knows. I don't care. I want to be with both of you. That's… all that matters."

Albel lifted his head, his mood lifted a little after he heard that. At least there was that. At least Fayt felt the way he did. Cliff crossed his arms. "That's all well and good, but that doesn't mean I'm jumpin' on the bandwagon."

Fayt's glare deepened. "You should apologize to Albel," he hissed. Cliff blinked in surprise at the venom in Fayt's voice. He didn't know the kid could do that. Must have picked up something from Albel. While Albel might be pleased about that, Cliff was not; he liked Fayt being cute and innocent… but it was his fault that Fayt was angry enough to say something with that tone of voice. "I don't know what happened between you two, but you need to apologize to him. Whatever you did to make him this upset, I know that Albel doesn't deserve it." This is only half-true. There are things like "dramatic repercussions" and "karma" and such that do exist and are active in life, and usually true as well.

Albel wanted to kiss Fayt for finally being bold enough to both proclaim that he no longer cared about hiding their relationship or not, as well as standing up for him. Instead, he continued sulking in his corner.

Fayt glared a moment longer at Cliff. "I'm going to get going. Please apologize to Albel." He stomped off alone.

Cliff glanced at Albel. The silence was awkward and uncomfortable. It hung in the air like a swarm of angry gnats—difficult to ignore and eager to be away from. Cliff looked away. "Let's get going."

Albel's mood sunk again, even lower than it had been before. He might as well have had a black storm cloud hovering over his head. He followed Cliff into the short maze. He was staring at the floor and just following Cliff as the Klausian maneuvered through the maze, dodging the moving blocks. Because he wasn't paying attention even remotely, he didn't notice when one suddenly came up from the side. Cliff turned in time to see it. He grabbed Albel's wrist and just managed to pull him out of the way. The momentum from the movement propelled the smaller man into Cliff's chest. Both of them froze. Albel started to angrily pull away, powered by hurt. He remembered all too vividly what had happened the last time they were in such a position. Cliff pinned him in one place though, pressing him against his chest. Albel's eyes widened.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I'm sorry I hurt you." Slowly, tentatively, Albel wrapped his arms around Cliff. He leaned his head against the Klausian's shoulder, but still a little cautiously, as if it might not be real. "I do want to be with you and Fayt, all right?" He let out a deep sigh. "I just need some more time to think about it, okay? Give me some more time."

Albel nodded against his shoulder. "Mm-hmm."

"It's not safe here; we need to get moving."

Albel let out a deep, annoyed sigh. "Fine. You owe me though." He broke away and the two made their way through the maze. In the next room, there was another. The others had kept going in their absence. That was fine. Before they went in to the maze, Albel grabbed Cliff and kissed him—fast, passionate, and deep. It sort of startled Cliff, but what the swordsman said next eclipsed the kiss. "I…" Albel felt his face heat. He stared downward. "I need you to carry me."

"What?" Cliff wondered quizzically. Had he heard him right?

"When you pulled me out of the way of that block, I sprained my ankle," he muttered. "If you don't carry me, I might get hit by one of the ones in this room. It's your fault, so you should take responsibility."

"That's 'coercion,'" he pointed out. Cliff smiled crookedly. "On my back?"

Albel's face heated again. "Carry me like you did when I was sick."

Cliff couldn't resist the temptation. He leaned down and kissed Albel. "Sophia can heal your ankle, I think. I'll put you down before we get to the door." He scooped Albel up. He readjusted himself a bit so he had one free arm. Albel was light for someone his height—he was so thin though. Albel hooked his right arm behind Cliff's neck to help steady himself. He leaned his head against Cliff's shoulder and helped watch out for the moving blocks.

Cliff wasn't 100% certain that Albel's ankle was actually sprained, or if Albel just didn't want Cliff to let go of him, but he liked carrying Albel anyway. He had enjoyed carrying Fayt too. Both at the same time might be impossible though.

He made his way to the other side without incident and set Albel down. "How's the ankle?" he asked him.

Albel shrugged a shoulder and limped out the door. On the other side, the rest of the group was waiting for them.

"What took so long?" Mirage asked them.

Cliff jerked a thumb in the Glyphian's direction. "'Albel the Wicked' over here sprained his ankle."

"It was your fault, idiot," Albel snapped.

"Yeah—I could've let you get run over," Cliff said conversationally. Fayt smiled. Cliff had apologized. Good. Albel seemed to be in a better mood too. The blonde glanced at Sophia. "Can you fix it?"

She nodded assuredly and cast "Cure Condition" on Albel. Apparently, it worked on sprains too. He supposed that a sprained ankle was a "condition." They continued onward. Fayt trailed to the back of the group with Albel. He whispered, "He apologized, then?"

Albel nodded once. "Yes."

Fayt looked at Albel. "Is it enough?"

A slight pause, then a small smile. "Yes." Fayt smiled knowingly. Something had transpired between them. Maybe Cliff was coming around then. The next thing Albel said assured Fayt of this. "He said he needed more time to think about it, but he is interested."

"I'm relieved to hear that," Fayt commented. They came to the Sacred Orb.

*please refer to script or gameplay*

On the way back, Fayt finally took some initiative, and walked beside Albel instead of the front like he usually did. Sophia glanced at him curiously, just in time to see Fayt rise on his tiptoes and kiss Albel. Albel blinked in surprise that Fayt would do that with people around—especially everyone in the party. He was glad that he did though. He so wanted to not hide this any more.

Sophia turned completely around. She didn't feel as shocked as she had before though. In fact, she had come to realize it some time ago. She had thought that it might be hard to see this. She had always liked Fayt, the way a girl likes a boy. But Fayt always just seemed to think of her as a kid sister. Besides… he seemed happy. And if she liked him at all, and she did, she could be happy because he was happy. So, even though she felt a little sad at her personal loss, she still felt happy for Fayt.

"Hey, Fayt, how about you switch with me and play warrior for a while," Nel was saying as she turned to look at him. She froze in place, then smiled. Fayt and Albel had stopped. Fayt had his arms around Albel's waist and they were kissing.

"Nel?" Maria wondered aloud. She turned and looked too, and froze. She grinned. Cliff turned and looked, then guffawed. Sophia blushed. Mirage looked, but didn't see anything worth getting excited over.

"Somehow, they seem incomplete," she commented.

Fayt blushed, leaning against Albel's chest. "Uh…" He wasn't sure if it was more or less awkward that only Cliff seemed to be shocked by it. The girls all just took it in stride. Albel seemed perfectly content to just stand there.

"They do," Maria agreed. She grabbed Cliff and pulled him over to them. She shoved him toward them, winking at Albel and Fayt. The two quickly grabbed him. Albel wrapped his arms around Cliff's waist on one side of him. Fayt nestled contentedly between the two. Cliff seemed oddly frozen in place, staring into space like a rabbit staring in to headlights.

Mirage raised an eyebrow, looked at them from a couple different angles, then grinned. "Perfect."

Albel leaned in and kissed Cliff's neck. Maria took a picture with her multi-functional communicator. She made a mental note to send it to her yaoi group later.

Nel grinned. "Fayt, you too," she urged. Fayt reached one of his arms up to Cliff's shoulder, the other on Albel's hip. He leaned against Cliff. Cliff continued not moving. Maria and Nel walked to either side of Cliff, grabbed his arms and placed his hands on the other two to encircle them properly. One of Albel's arms around Cliff fell away so Fayt could lean more against Cliff; the gauntlet was too in the way for it to be effective. He set the claw gently on Fayt's shoulder, closing off the ring of limbs. Maria took another picture.

"Something needs to be done about Cliff's facial expression," Mirage said. "It'd be much more visually appealing if he'd stop staring straight ahead."

Maria looked at Cliff. "I'm pretty sure we traumatized him."

Mirage and Nel laughed good-naturedly. Sophia chuckled a little. They decided to stop traumatizing Cliff for the time being and moved on. Fayt felt amazingly good over how that had gone. Sophia walked beside him. Fayt was between Albel and Sophia.

"Are you two… together then?" Sophia asked.

Fayt blushed and looked away. Albel decided to answer instead if Fayt was embarrassed. "You could say that," he said. You could practically see the yaoi fangirl-ism radiate from Nel and Maria like Three Mile Island.

"Wow. Then, Fayt, are you going to stay on Elicoor after we defeat the Owner?" she asked.

Fayt missed a step. "Well… I hadn't really thought about it. I'll figure it out when the time comes."

Sophia nodded. "I'd miss you if you stayed here," she confessed.

Fayt was just relieved she was taking this so well—relieved and shocked anyway. Nel and Maria had certainly done their work well. Mirage didn't seem to have any issues with it either—even when Cliff was involved. Of course, that part hadn't been "real" per se. Still… it was something.

Cliff dunked his head in a bucket of cold water. Not so much out of cleanliness, but to make sure that he was awake. The second dunk was to make sure that he was alert. The third was to refresh his memory and make sure that the events had actually transpired. They had. He dunked his head in a fourth time for certainty. Yep, that had definitely happened. The fifth dunk was for no reason at all other than sheer horror, and to muffle his scream.

He continued screaming, only coming out of the water when he needed more air to scream with.

The first scream was because it had happened at all. The second was because Fayt and Albel were conspiring against him. The third was because Nel and Maria were in on it—this he knew now, for certain. The fourth and longest scream was because it was working against his will. He took a long, deep breath and grabbed the bucket. He held it over his head and flipped it over. The freezing cold killed his erection more effectively than the screaming and dunking of his face had.

_Why_ did he want Fayt and Albel back so much? He still wasn't so sure about Mirage though. Just a little longer to think, to make sure. He needed to consider what would happen after this Creator business. He had to be absolutely certain. Or, if not that, at least certain that he wasn't losing something.

He paced as he air-dried, then went to the throne room.

Fayt and Albel went to the White Dew Garden. Albel filled Fayt in a bit more on what had happened in the Shrine, leaving out how Cliff had carried him; that was private and a little embarrassing.

"I don't think he'll leave us," Fayt said. Fayt wrapped his arms around Albel. "Thanks for not just giving up on us."

"I would have if not for Nel, so you should thank her."

Fayt kissed him. "I will then." Fayt kissed Albel again before he wandered off to find her. Nel was pacing in the hallway. Fayt thanked her, and told her why he was thanking her.

She smiled. "I wanted to help, but you're welcome."

Fayt wandered around the castle a bit, and eventually came in to the throne room. Apparently, they had heard from Blair and had even figured out where the place was. That realized, they needed to head out. They still had a few hours of light left, so they could probably make it to Peterny by then.

*please refer to game play again*

*Adray joins party*

They set out for Peterny and bunked for the night in the inn. Giggling, the girls assigned Albel and Fayt to the same room.

"Oh, but you two only need _one_ bed, right?" Maria said suggestively. "How about a single, then?"

Albel didn't miss a beat. A sly smile snaked across his face. "One of the beds is for sleeping, and the other is for… intimacy."

Adray fell over, landing on a chair, to his fortune, instead of the floor. Fayt's face reddened horribly. Nel grinned. "Don't stay up too late, and don't keep everyone else up by being loud either."

Albel grinned, snatched Fayt's collar, and drug him down the hall to their room. Fayt made half-hearted (and ignored) protests all the way to the room. The Elicoorian wasted absolutely no time and threw Fayt into one of the beds immediately. Fayt couldn't say he didn't like it. His impatience was infectious. They helped each other out of their clothes. Albel took a few minutes to rip his arm out of his gauntlet before he pounced on Fayt again.

Delighted that they weren't hiding, ecstatic that there was no more point in trying to keep quiet except to not annoy others (and Albel cared nothing about that), and simply happy to be together, their bodies intertwined. Fayt shuddered, feeling Albel push in to him. His fingers twisted into the blankets as his lover moved inside him, the Elicoorian giving sucking kisses to his neck. Albel moved against him just right, and Fayt's whole body stiffened in ecstasy. His body trembled. Seeing this reaction, Albel attempted the maneuver again and happened to get it right a second time. Fayt's back arched and he screamed. Albel pounded in to him, shuddering with the sound of Fayt's cries and the way his uke felt. Fayt's fingernails drug across Albel's back, the skin breaking in places.

The bed creaked, the headboard slammed against the wall—loudly. Maria and Nel, who were sharing a room, suddenly looked up from what they were doing. They looked at each other, looks of astonished glee on their faces. They raced out of the room and skidded to a halt outside Fayt and Albel's.

They could hear gasping, panting, and moaning on the other side. Amidst the sound of the headboard hitting the wall, they also heard skin slapping skin. Fayt gave another loud cry he couldn't hold back. Maria kneeled in front of the keyhole, trying to get a look.

Cliff found Nel and Maria taking turns peeking through the keyhole. He stared at them for a moment, debating on what to do about it. They hadn't noticed him, as they were preoccupied.

"Wow," Nel said. "That's _hot_. Albel has nice legs." Oh, didn't Cliff know the truth of _that_.

"I like his ass," Maria said. So did Cliff. Neither of them had become aware of Cliff's presence, so intent were they on watching live porn. "And Fayt looks _good_."

Nel nodded appreciatively. "I agree. He's cute." He certainly was. Cute enough to get Cliff interested to begin with…

Cliff realized that he was quickly becoming aroused, and retreated to his room, which was as far away from Fayt and Albel's as he could get. He burrowed under the blankets, ignoring Adray when he came in, and trying to ignore his throbbing erection. He desperately wanted to kick Maria and Nel to the side and jump in bed with Fayt and Albel. He wanted to so badly. He wanted to join them, to make Albel scream like he had that one night in this very inn not so long ago. He wanted to watch Fayt quiver, gasp, and pant. He wanted to be with them, inside them, on top of them, feel their dampened skin, moist hair, listen to their panting, smell the sweat and the semen. And after it was over, he wanted to lie in a pile of sticky limbs, their bodies intertwined, utterly exhausted. He wanted to fall asleep with Fayt curled up against one side and Albel snuggled up against the other like they had only once before.

He stayed in bed alone instead, his body's carnal urges overruled by his common sense.

Maria and Nel tiptoed away after it was finished, back to their room. Fayt fell asleep with Albel's arms wrapped loosely around him. But the two still felt like the bed was a little empty.

Before they left for Mosel, they refined some of their weaponry again, as this would likely be their last opportunity. While Albel was smithing, Fayt happened to notice something. Fayt strayed to the back of the group as they exited the building.

"Albel, may I ask you a somewhat personal question?" Fayt asked casually.

The other frowned. "Sure, but who says I'll answer?"

Fair enough. "Is there any particular reason… that you're wearing a _thong_?"

Albel's face didn't even heat. "Yes."

"What's that?" Fayt asked flatly.

He glanced sidelong at him. "I'm tired of you and Cliff staring at me every time the wind blows or something. And while the drooling and such is very flattering, I feel as though I am a distraction to the two of you on the battlefield." He said all of that as calmly as if he were highlighting the finer points of mathematics to a gaggle of school children.

Fayt's mind reeled as he tried to decide which flaw in this argument he wanted to pick at first. He decided on the most obvious. "But a _thong_ only covers the _front_."

"So?"

Fayt massaged his temples. Albel's "logic" always gave him headaches. "Besides that, thongs are for fetish stuff…"

"Your point?"

Fayt pinched the bridge of his nose in open frustration. "That hardly helps!"

"But now you two won't be staring at my crotch so often."

Fayt felt his own face heat. "That's not the point. We can still see your ass."

Albel's mouth twisted in a frown. "Yes. So?"

Fayt wanted to strangle him, but the collar was quite in the way. This may have been the overall point, as Albel is a frustrating individual, seems to know it, and most people have hands, which means most people are capable of strangling someone, unless there was something in the way… like a large iron collar. "Why don't you just wear _normal_ underwear?"  
Albel regarded him as if he had just suggested that he wear socks as mittens in the heat of summer. "Obviously, because then I would have a 'panty line' and you could see the side of my underwear, worm." He pointed at the slit in the skirt as evidence of this.

"How about wearing _pants_?" Fayt suggested.

Albel ended the debate by kicking Fayt in the rear, knocking him to the pavement. He stepped lightly on his back as he caught up to the others. Fayt still had one more question for him though. Completely undeterred, he picked himself off of the ground and pulled Albel aside again. "Isn't it uncomfortable?" he asked. "Having a piece of string up your ass?"

"No."

"Oh." End of discussion. Fayt wasn't interested in pursuing the topic further, as he would probably end up on the ground again, getting stepped on.

They camped out before heading in to Mosel, on the Sanmite Steppes, right outside of Surferio for lunch. The girls decided to cook, the explanation being, "If this is going to be our last meal, it's going to be good," Mirage insisted. This was an understatement, being that they ate after this, but those meals were travel-ready and thus do not count as being real food.

"And that means everyone is helping," Maria added.

Albel, Cliff, and Fayt slowly started edging away. "That includes you three," Nel growled. They froze momentarily, and then bolted to avoid this chore. They did not get far, however. Mirage grabbed Albel's hair, hauling back on the rat tail. He let out a cry of surprise and pain. It didn't feel good when she did it. She shoved him on to a fallen log that they were using as a bench, glowering at him, daring him to move. Albel judged that she could probably tackle him faster than he could make an escape, so wisely stayed put. He sat dejectedly, and she guarded him, looking for any signs of trying to run away. Nel launched herself at Fayt and shoved him back toward the group. He stumbled awkwardly. Mirage grabbed him and set him forcefully beside Albel.

Maria didn't have to move to take down Cliff, and her hand never strayed near her handgun. "Cliff, if you take one step farther, I'm going to hack your computer terminal and erase all your porn," she threatened. He froze, turned around, marched over to the log, and sat beside Fayt. Albel and Fayt scowled at him.

"None of us have any cooking skills anyway," Fayt complained.

"No, but you can still work," Nel said. The girls sorted out what they wanted prepared. Adray fetched water and worked at gathering wood and other such things, as he hadn't bolted like the other three and thus was rewarded by not having to help with the real cooking.

They put Fayt to work peeling and chopping vegetables. He occasionally cut himself with the knife, but that didn't seem to deter them from insisting that he cut and chop vegetables. Cliff was handed a sort of mallet-like object and a pile of steaks and told to tenderize them by pounding on them. Albel sat around being ornamental, occasionally providing sarcastic commentary when Fayt cut himself. Fayt threw a bit of turnip at him. It landed somewhere in his hair.

"Hey, Turnip Head, how about shutting up?" Cliff suggested (kudos to anyone who gets that). Albel found the chunk of turnip and threw it at him. The Klausian tossed it aside.

Sophia finished washing and cutting out the bad parts of the potatoes. Nel handed the bowl of potatoes to Albel and gave him a fork.

"What the hell am I supposed to do with _this_?" he demanded, staring at the fork as if she had insisted he assassinate someone with this very fork, using only the fork.

"Stab the potatoes. Repeatedly. All over them—all of them."

"_Why_?"

Nel sighed deeply and explained, "Because they need to cook evenly."

"If I must to stab it, can't I use my sword instead of a _fork_?" He held the fork outward, away from his body, between two fingers, as if it might bite.

"No. Use the fork."

She marched away before he could protest further. Albel stared at the potatoes for a moment, and then started stabbing them repeatedly in an angry manner. He got squirted with "potato juice" this way, and then, on reflection, stabbed in a less angry manner. This was all well and good, because he probably would have stabbed himself if he kept that up.

None of the three could be remotely considered "happy" after this was all said and done. The girls sent them away after proclaiming that they had dish-duty.

They sat in a triangle away from the girls and Adray. Fayt stared at his bandaged fingers. "I'm never doing that again," he muttered.

"I'd be happy with take-out for the rest of my life," Cliff muttered. He had been squirted with raw meat juice (blood) several times.

"I hate potatoes," Albel muttered. To understand Albel's pain, please go stab about eight large potatoes repeatedly with a fork, all over them, without taking a break to rest your hand. No further explanation is needed.

Fayt and Cliff laughed.

Mirage came and got them when dinner was ready. Fayt and Cliff followed her. Albel flopped down on the grass and attempted to fall asleep instead. By the time Fayt walked back over to him, he had nodded off. Fayt grinned wickedly and jumped on him, making sure to aim for his left arm. He threw all of his weight into pinning his gauntleted arm down.

"Ack! Fayt!? Get off!" Albel growled.

Fayt laughed and tickled Albel's ribs. The others looked up and watched when they heard the laughing, screaming, and cursing. Fayt was giggling madly. He had a good hold on Albel's arm (he was now sitting on it), and could freely tickle Albel, so long as he avoided the other arm. Cliff couldn't resist. Absolutely could not resist. He joined in, pinning Albel's other arm down and tickling him. Albel bit him, but immediately released because he couldn't help but laugh, and the laughing only made him angry.

"No! Get _off me_!" he wailed amidst the half-restrained laughter. The rest of the group watched on in rapt interest. Cliff laughed, tickling Albel's ribs. Albel flailed his legs around a bit uselessly. He screamed something only half-intelligible, the topic about desecrating Cliff and Fayt's corpses.

"Oh, whoa!" Cliff said, taking that totally the wrong way. "You're a necrophiliac? That's kind of… gross…"

Fayt paused. Albel paused, then swung one of legs up acrobatically. His foot collided with Cliff's head. Cliff wheeled, stumbling off of him, holding his head. Albel lunged at a surprised Fayt. Fayt made a noise very like a frightened pig and scuttled away. Cliff grabbed him and hauled him to his feet. The two darted away. Albel unsheathed his sword and chased after them. The others watched them.

"Hey, dinner and a show," Maria commented, watching Fayt and Cliff run like hell to escape Albel's wrath. The two took off running down the hill. Albel caught Cliff first. He slammed the flat of his sword against the back of Cliff's head. Cliff stumbled and rolled lifelessly down the hill. Albel paused momentarily. He marched over to him and kicked him in the ribs experimentally. Cliff didn't move. He peered at him. He was breathing… Unconscious? Cliff's arm darted out, grabbing Albel's ankle. He jerked his arm back. Albel cried out in surprise and landed on his back. He kicked Cliff in the head again.

"Stop that!" Cliff complained. For a change, Albel kicked him in the chest. He jerked his leg that Cliff was holding, trying to free it.

Cliff grabbed his other ankle and pinned them down. Albel pushed himself up to a sitting position. He held his left hand out. Cliff flinched, but didn't have time to dodge. "Aura Wall!" Albel took off after Fayt while the attack juggled Cliff. Fayt had got some pretty good distance in during this time, but Albel was faster than Fayt and he soon overcame him. He hit him with the blunt side of the blade in the back. Fayt fell down. He rolled on to his back.

"Albel, don't—" Fayt stuttered. Albel tossed the sword aside, grinning wickedly. He pinned Fayt down. He kissed his neck, his mouth, his chest. He yanked off Fayt's shirt, and took his shorts off. The greaves came with them. Albel got off of him, presumably to take his own clothes off. Instead, Albel snatched his sword and ran back up the hill, chuckling maniacally. Fayt screamed curses at him.

Cliff was sitting back at the camp site when Albel came back. Mirage handed Cliff a couple blackberries and Sophia healed him. Albel sat down, looking pleased with himself. Everyone else's suspicions rose dangerously high. Any time Albel looked pleased, something bad was happening to someone else.

"Where's Fayt?" Sophia asked worriedly, staring at his pile of clothes sitting beside Albel.

"Good question," Adray said suspiciously.

Nel frowned. "Albel, what did you do with Fayt?"

He pointed vaguely down the hill. "He's down there."

"Why do you have his clothes?" Maria demanded.

"Punishment."

Sophia looked horrified. "But I thought he was your lover…?"  
He looked at her flatly. "He is. That doesn't exempt him from punishment."

Everyone was just finishing up eating. The girls sent Albel and Cliff to do dishes, as Fayt hadn't returned yet. Mirage was set as a guard to make sure that Albel didn't try running away again to escape dish duty. Cliff washed, Albel dried. Sophia took Fayt's clothes and met him at the bottom of the hill, a look of embarrassment adorning her face. She tried not to look at him as she handed him his clothes again.

"Thank you, Sophia," Fayt said gratefully. "I didn't know what to do." He took his clothes back. She turned around and waited for him to dress. When he finished, they walked back together. Nel and Maria immediately sent him to wash dishes with the other two. Fayt took over Cliff's job of rinsing dishes.

Sometime during the dish washing, Roger dropped by.

Nel found a hot spring nearby, and decided that the girls would go take a quick bath before they set out. This is a recipe for disaster, clearly.

"And no peeking," Sophia said seriously.

Mirage raised an eyebrow at Cliff before following the other girls. For about ten minutes, nothing particularly interesting happened. Then Roger, ever the perverted little kid, realized that all the girls were _naked_ just around the corner.

"The girls are all _naked_," he said with glee.

Cliff's eyes widened. Mirage and naked equaled a pleasing figure to his mind. "Mirage…" Cliff murmured. Albel's face reddened in anger. Fayt glared frostily at him. Roger was off through the brush before anyone could blink an eye. Cliff snuck off too. Albel ground his teeth and marched after him to give him a piece of his mind.

"No!" Fayt yelped. "They'll—the girls…! Sophia…!" Fayt darted after Roger, deciding that Albel and Cliff could probably take care of themselves.

Adray's eyes widened. "No—don't go!" he insisted, running after Fayt.

Fayt spotted Roger's tail. His body was obscured by a small shrub, except his happily wagging tail. Fayt couldn't help but look; it was automatic. He was so surprised that he let out a yelp he hadn't intended to.

On the other side of the path, Albel smacked Cliff in the back of the head. "What are you doing!" he hissed under his breath.

Cliff pointed down at the hot spring. "Mirage is hot."

Albel ground his teeth, hauled back his fist, and let loose, letting his jealous, angry rage do the thinking for him. "Hand of Doom!" he screamed. Fayt's yelp and the sound of Albel's voice and his fist colliding with Cliff's face happened almost simultaneously, and were sort of a dead-giveaway that someone was watching. Maria and Sophia sunk down in the water, covering their breasts self-consciously. Sophia shrieked. Maria fumbled for her gun with one hand. Nel dove for a towel. Mirage flexed her fingers, searching the brush, not bothering to cover herself. All the men and Roger froze in silent terror. Maria fired random potshots into the foliage. To avoid the shots, four of the five scattered. Roger crouched low. Mirage came tearing out of the water, still naked and heedless of it. She flew at Cliff, grinding his face in to the dirt. She hauled back her fist and punched him square in the back. He was down and staying down. She looked up. Fayt was frozen in place, gawking at her openly, as he tried desperately not to. He couldn't summon to mind any thoughts about Albel or Cliff to save his life and keep him from looking. It was like his eyelids were taped open and his feet were glued to the ground. It certainly didn't help that Mirage was an attractive woman.

She lunged at him. He reacted, but too slowly. She punched him, kicked him, and threw him into a tree. Mirage chased after Adray next. Nel caught up to her and the two of them blackened and bruised the older man before chasing after Albel, who was the only one who had managed to escape thus far. Once Maria had fired a shot a scant six inches from the side of his head, he had bolted through the forest, not sticking around to see what happened to everyone else, and wasn't stupid enough to look back when he heard one of the other men cry out in surprise and pain when the girls caught them.

He realized that he had abandoned Cliff and Fayt, but he decided that the blonde deserved it anyway, all things considered. In fact, it pleased him that Mirage had ground his face in the dirt. Maybe next time Cliff would think twice about catching glimpses of Mirage bathing, and pay more attention to Albel and Fayt, like he should. Fayt, he was a little remorseful about, but that's life.

In the meantime, that didn't help him though. He ran through the forest recklessly, trying to dodge trees, tripping over exposed roots, and clambering over rocks and any other obstacle that might be in the way. He could hear Mirage running behind him, and Nel too. They were splitting up—not a good sign. They would try to close him in for the beat-down they had given the others.

He was absolutely furious with Cliff and Roger for this. He knew how angry the girls were. And it wasn't an "if" they caught him either. If he could manage to run far enough, they might give up and maybe when he returned in the morning, they wouldn't be so angry, but they'd catch him eventually; both of them were fairly fast—and angry.

Albel turned on a dime and leaped over a small spring. He slammed almost directly in to Mirage, who was still naked. He jerked in surprise, tried to say something along the lines of "I wasn't peeking," realized this was futile as he couldn't seem to help staring at her body, and decided to flee instead.

Back at the spring, Maria had wrapped a towel around her and was taking more potshots at the shrubs. Roger screeched and went careening out of a shrub she shot at. Maria leveled her eyes and shot him in the rear twice before he scampered away.

Maria smirked and climbed out of the water. Holding the towel with one hand and her gun with the other, she marched off after Mirage and Nel. This ended up being perfect.

Albel took a risk and glanced behind him. He could see Mirage's outline, and could hear Nel hurtling through the brush, heading off in a circle. Years of studying military drills and strategy warned him of what was going on. He skidded to a halt, thinking desperately. Mirage darted to the side. Yep, he knew this routine—commonly known as the "pincer attack," and with good reason.

He kept moving forward, right about to the point where they would probably just start closing in. He could hear them moving toward him. Yep. He skidded to slow. He turned on his heel, using a limb to propel him. He turned and ran back the way he had come. It avoided things for the time being, but he needed to think of something fast.

He heard Mirage swear and the two came after him again.

"Shit," he muttered, leaping over a fallen log. A red light pierced the trees and found his torso. His eyes widened as he realized what the red light was. "Shit!" Maria squeezed the trigger. Fortunately, this is a video game and it didn't tear the bloody fatal hole in his chest it would have in real life. Instead, it made him pause long enough for her to shoot him two more times in the chest, keeping him still just long enough for Mirage to kick him square in the back with her muddy feet. Nel punched him in the stomach. After he fell down and stopped moving, the three girls marched off to resume their bath.

Albel staggered back to camp and gave Roger a dirty look. Cliff, he set with such a look of rage that one would have expected Cliff to burst in to flame. He strode over to Cliff. Cliff smiled weakly at him. The Elicoorian smacked Cliff in the side of the head.

"Never again!" he yelled. Fayt applauded him, a bit sarcastically.

"Ow!" Cliff nursed his head. "What the hell?"

Albel, his jealous rage quickly returning, hit him again—violent little bastard that he is. "Idiot!" he screeched.

"Hit him once for me too," Fayt said flatly. Albel kicked Cliff in the shin.

"Damn, you're a jealous little bastard, aren't you?" Cliff wondered sarcastically.

"Argh! Worm!" He hit him again. For good measure, he hit him one last time before he dropped down beside him, glowering at him as he waited for an apology of some sort. Fayt stared at Cliff. Between the two of them, Cliff started feeling a wee bit uncomfortable.

Cliff rubbed his face tenderly. "Ah…" He glanced nervously at the others. "Well… Mirage is really hot…"

Albel ground his teeth and prepared to smack him again. With effort, he restrained himself. Fayt did not. He smacked Cliff in the side. The Earthling stalked off angrily. Albel went with him.

The girls came back from their bath, and the men were allowed to go if they wanted to. As they had all been ground in to the dirt, they did so. Fayt and Albel glared at Cliff and Roger practically the entire time. Albel attempted to drown the little Menodix, but Fayt and Adray rescued him. After the bath, they got ready to move on. Roger bid his farewell and good luck, then hopped off home.

After all of this was done, they continued through Surferio and on to Mosel.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter Seventeen**

_Green Mile_

The dry heat in Mosel seemed worse than before somehow. Of course, this was all in their minds, but it still felt unbearable.

"I prefer Airyglyph," Fayt muttered. "I can always _make_ myself warmer." He glanced at the sun. "But what can you do about this heat?"

To make matters worse, they were attacked by a monster before they even got to the dangerous part. All the running around from the battle just made things worse. Sophia wasn't taking it well. She looked so hot and tired already. Nel tugged at her scarf, sweat beading on her forehead. Maria swiped her brow, considering taking off her gloves. Cliff wanted some sun screen. Adray was wishing he had a shirt to shield his skin from sunburn. Albel looked like he was dying. Mirage was likely the best fitted for it—wearing shorts and with her hair tied back and such. Even still, she looked pretty miserable too. Fayt knew _he_ was miserable. He glanced at the others. Yep, miserable.

They marched onwards. It didn't take long before Sophia had a heatstroke. She stumbled and fell to the ground. Fayt leaped to her side automatically. He opened his water bottle and splashed some water on her face, holding it to her lips. She drank greedily and opened her eyes. "It's so hot…"

"C'mon, Sophia. You can make it." He helped her to her feet and after a bit, she was more steady. Fayt walked beside her in case she fell again.

Albel was definitely _not_ holding up well. He was used to bitter cold, and had little experience with sweating from heat outside of sex or exercise. It was sort of ironic, because in the dead of a Glyphian winter, as a child, hadn't he longed for this kind of warmth? Ha! The irony didn't help though; it was unbearable. He'd rather roll around naked in the snow. He was hydrated from the cloak Fayt had found on his first trip here, but it did nothing for the sweltering heat.

About halfway through the desert, Albel fainted. He hit the sand and rolled, completely unconscious. His body, so used to cold weather, simply had no tolerance for the heat of a desert. His armor certainly didn't help the matter.

"Albel!" Fayt cried, abandoning his post at Sophia's side to run to his unconscious lover. Cliff hesitated, then rushed over to him too. His body just moved automatically, even though he knew he shouldn't go to him. He touched Albel's forehead, remembering the last time he had fainted. Definitely over-heated. His arm brushed Albel's armor. It was burning. He could fry an egg on it.

"It's his armor," he said. "The heat from it probably made him faint."

Fayt dribbled some water on Albel's face, hoping to revive him. His eyes snapped open, then he looked at Cliff, noticing he was in his arms again. "Why do I keep waking up in your arms after I faint?" he muttered darkly.

Cliff laughed good-naturedly. "Why do you keep fainting?"

"It's hot," he pointed out. "I'm… not used to this." His eyes fluttered again as his body threatened to fall into unconsciousness. Fayt splashed more cool water on his face. It was reviving, but could only do so much.

"Let's get your armor off you. You'll feel better," Fayt pointed out. "The metal is heating up and that's probably what made you faint."

Albel hesitated and sat up. He climbed out of the special sanctity of Cliff's arms. He hesitated again and started yanking off his armor, which went directly into the mysterious item menu. He pulled up the glove self-consciously. Sophia, ever a typical girl, quickly noticed that his gloves were mismatched, as one covered his fingers and the other was fingerless. She didn't comment, however, and only noted this.

"I feel naked," Albel complained.

Cliff almost commented, then restrained himself. They weren't alone, after all.

"But I'll bet your arm isn't burning anymore," Fayt said.

"I couldn't feel it anyway," he muttered darkly.

"Oh, because of the glove?"

"No."

Fayt looked puzzled. Cliff leaned down toward his ear and explained it to spare Albel the trouble. "You remember his arm is burned? Probably shot all the nerves in it so he can't feel anything with that arm," he whispered. And a good thing—or he would have been in terrible pain from the heated-up armor.

"Oh." Fayt suddenly felt embarrassed for asking. "Sophia!" Fayt called, an idea springing to mind. "How about you keep casting 'Deep Freeze' to cool us off."

"But won't that hurt everyone?" she wondered, confused at this idea.

Cliff glanced at the burdening sun. "No. It'll probably just feel good at this point. It's 'Inferno' that would be the end of all of us."

A bit hesitantly, Sophia tried it. Everyone eyed the ice the way a hungry man eyes a roast duck. Albel was the first one to cast all dignity aside and jump on the ice. It was amazingly reviving, and the air around it must have been 20 degrees (on the Fahrenheit scale anyway) cooler. Fayt followed him headlong. Sophia was the next one and then everyone else ran into the ice. It didn't last long, and Sophia cast it again immediately and in this fashion, they slowly made it through the desert without melting, in a metaphoric sense as people usually don't melt.

When they arrived at the Ruins, everyone was grateful to be out of the sun. They allowed for a few minutes to relax and recover from the journey, then they headed farther in. They found the room they needed in a sealed area that they used the Ring of Disintegration to get to. Down the stairs, they found an area with an altar.

"Is this the gate?" Fayt wondered, looking around. But it must be. It certainly looked like it at any rate, and the general conclusion was to give it a try. After Sophia placed the Orb on the altar and used her power on it, a part of the wall slid away to reveal a large screen behind it.

The group felt a little apprehensive. Somewhere beyond that gate, was Luther. The end was nigh, and the tension ran thick and heavy in the air. Fayt touched Cliff's arm, like he had before so many times when he needed reassurance. Cliff looked at him, his face softening a little.

They gathered their courage and walked through the gate. Blair appeared on the scene. She informed them of the long journey they would have through Firewall, and that she would accompany them.

Maria and Nel glanced at each other. They let the rest of the party pass them. "We need to act quickly. We may not have too much more time," Maria whispered.

Nel nodded. "We need to give Cliff a push. It's Mirage that's holding him back, right?"

Maria nodded. "He… has a 'thing' for Mirage." This is evident in the hot spring incident earlier in the day.

Nel considered this. "Right." She thought seriously about this problem. "What if Mirage talked to him?"

The Earthling girl pondered this idea. It could work, but it all hinged on Mirage's feelings about Cliff being with Fayt and Albel. "I'll talk to her," she decided.

Maria strode up to Mirage, not daring to waste any time. "Can I talk to you?" she asked her quietly.

"Yes, certainly," Mirage answered. They slowed so they could walk a fair distance behind everyone else. "What's on your mind, Maria?"

Maria took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "You know that Fayt and Albel are together."

"Yes. What of it?"

"What do you think about it?" she asked.

Mirage considered. "I don't care." She shrugged. "If they're happy, then I see no reason to care."

Maria looked up at Mirage seriously. "What if they both wanted Cliff too?"

Mirage started to laugh, because she thought that Maria was joking or asking this hypothetically, but then she saw the serious expression on her face. Mirage frowned and thought about it for a moment or two. She looked back at Maria. "Cliff and I are close, but it's never been quite like that. I'm attached to him… I suppose. But I don't think we'll ever really be 'together.' I'd be happy to see him find someone else. I don't care if it's a man or woman, so long as he's happy."

This brought other questions to Maria's mind. She debated on asking about them later, then decided against it. "Were you together before?" she asked off-handedly.

Mirage chuckled. "Sort of. Things just didn't work out, y'know?" But then she looked at Maria again. "No, I suppose you don't know."

Maria smiled. "I'm only 16. I have the rest of my life to find out."

"That's right. Was that all?"

The Earthling shook her head. "Cliff, Albel, and Fayt, at one point, were actually all together… like Albel and Fayt are now."  
Mirage frowned, but said nothing for now.

"Something happened between them," Maria continued. She gauged Mirage's reactions. Still nothing, just silent pondering. "And now they're apart. Fayt and Albel are trying to be with Cliff again, but we're pretty sure that he's stuck on you."

Mirage quickly saw where this was going. "You want _me_ to talk to him?"

Maria looked anxious. "Could you?"

She made a face. "So you can be fangirl-ish about it?"

The leader of Quark scowled. "No. I'd like to see Cliff happy too, and I think he was with Fayt and Albel."

Mirage considered. "I'll think about it."

They caught back up to the others.

Firewall was a horrible, confusing, brain-splitting maze. There were parts of the maze that they had to traverse individually because of the narrow passage and the things rolling around on the maze that sent them back to the beginning of the area, staying in touch with their communicators. The ones who didn't have them were paired with someone who did. Fayt and Albel ran across together and acted as scouts, then Sophia and Nel, and the last group of two was Maria and Adray. Mirage and Cliff were the last two, by design. Blair could just as easily program herself to walk through air, so this was not an issue for her.

Mirage glanced at Cliff. Now was as good a time as any. And she did want to see him happy. If she was standing between him and something he wanted, even if she didn't mean to, she wanted to amend that. "Cliff," she said.

"Yeah?" he asked, watching Maria round a corner, following the path the others had taken.

Mirage wondered if she should ease in to the matter or just spit it out. It was easier to just to say it. Besides, Cliff would get suspicious if she beat around the bush; he knew her too well. "If I'm ever between you and something you want, don't let me stand in your way," she said. She smiled at the stunned look on his face. "It's okay to be with them. I'll always be your friend, Cliff, and I'd never think differently about you." She glanced ahead. "It's time to get going."

Cliff stared at her, too shocked for words. He shook his head and followed her. So. His one problem with the whole setup, vanished, in so many words. Had Maria put Mirage up to this? Because it couldn't have been anyone else. But ultimately it had been Mirage who had said it. Mirage wouldn't say something like that just because Maria asked her to. It might convince her to say it aloud, but she wasn't the type to say something just to satisfy another. No, Mirage really felt that way.

He felt like a great burden had been lifted from his shoulders. There were no more problems with their relationship. Everyone was perfectly accepting. Why had he ever thought they wouldn't be?

When the Klausians rejoined the rest of the group of assorted Earthlings and Elicoorians, they started off again. Cliff pulled Fayt back and tapped Albel on the shoulder. He looked down at the two and said, quietly, "You're right; I'm sorry I took so long."

Albel grinned. Fayt smiled. "Then we're together again?" the Earthling asked.

"Yeah."

Fayt threw his arms around Cliff. Cliff lifted him off of his feet and kissed him, then set him back down. Fayt stepped away, a relieved and satisfied look in his eyes. "Now we need to think about what we'll do after we beat Luther."

"All in good time," Cliff assured him. "Let's get goin'." They caught up to the others. Nel and Maria looked immensely pleased, but they would be; a lot of it had been their handiwork. Fayt made a mental note to do something to thank them later.

After the boss fight at the end of the maze, everyone was tired and hungry. Blair seemed discouraged.

"Hold on a moment," she said. Her image flickered briefly. "How's that?"

Blair had apparently done something to slightly alter them and now everyone was energized as if they had been just slept for eight hours, and just as full as if they had just had breakfast. While this was convenient, it was slightly discouraging, all things considered. It was like reminding them that they were nothing but programs to begin with. Blair wasn't trying to do such a thing, but that's what it did.

This feeling was cut off from the core of their thoughts and suppressed in an unhealthy manner as they trudged through the next area. Just as they entered, though, Blair yelped in surprise and disappeared. Sophia happened to turn in time to see it. Sophia called attention to the matter and they debated on what to do. Considering that it wasn't the real Blair and only a projection, they decided that it couldn't be too life-threatening to her, so they continued on.

After a bit of running around, they came across a sort of "Pseudo Blair" and had to fight her. "Not much use in a fight" indeed; she was a difficult battle, and Sophia had to cast Fairy's Light twice at the end so that everyone was healthy again. The imitation died laughing, literally. Apparently, "Blair" had done something to the teleporter device and they couldn't use it, so they continued on past it.

They wandered around a bit looking for another way to continue, but instead came across Blair—what they hoped was the real Blair anyway—floating in some kind of containment field with three coloured crystals around her.

Apparently, this was the real Blair, but she was trapped inside. They discussed what to do briefly. Blair seemed to think the crystals were involved somehow, so perhaps they needed to find similar crystals. Maria tried shooting one of the crystals around Blair, but nothing happened. Cliff tapped one—or attempted it anyway. His finger slipped right over it. Well, trying to break these crystals was useless. There were a couple different ways to go from here.

"Should we split up?" Nel wondered. "We'll cover more ground that way."

They split in to groups, and each group went down a different way. There was one group of two, and that was Sophia and Adray, who went back the way they had come, looking for a crystal. The second group was Maria, Mirage, and Nel. By elimination, the third group shouldn't be too difficult to figure out without needing to point it out.

Fayt, Albel, and Cliff came across one of the crystals indeed, but it was guarded by Chimera Hawks. The battle was more frustrating than really difficult though. Cliff contacted Mirage using his communicator.

"You find anything yet?" he asked.

"No. But we haven't reach the end yet," she answered.

"Right. We'll be waiting."

"Roger."

Fayt decided to try Sophia. "Sophia, you find anything?"  
"No. We're still looking."

"Okay. Well, call if you have problems, all right? We'll be waiting with Blair."

"Okay."

Albel scowled. "Who said we'd be waiting with Blair?" he demanded.

Fayt blinked. "What?"

The Klausian smiled. "Seems like we've got some time. I doubt we have enough for sex, but let's do _something_."

Fayt froze. He had missed Cliff. He certainly wanted some _time_ with him. "But what exactly?"

Albel chuckled softly at Fayt's stubborn innocence. But he wouldn't like him as much if he wasn't so innocent. Things just wouldn't be as much fun that way, if, say, Fayt got as perverted as Cliff or Albel. Still, it would be nice if he could catch on from time to time.

"Just do what we do," Cliff said seductively, leaning down toward Fayt.

Fayt pondered this momentarily, and then let his mind sink into the dark, murky depths of perversion. For Fayt, it was like attaching lead weights to a helium balloon, but he could still get "down" to their level if he tried hard enough. No sex… Then… He wrapped his arms around Cliff and kissed him, rolling his tongue over the other's lips, over his teeth. Tongues met, pushing against each other. He felt Albel nibble on the back of his neck, and his right hand slid down along his abdomen. Unzip, unbutton, and… He gasped in surprise when he felt the gloved hand encircle him. Cliff, continuing to lean over as he kissed Fayt, let his hands move over to Albel, encircling his waist, feeling his well-toned chest and stomach. Albel took his wrist gently in his gauntlet, guiding his hand toward his thighs, along the slit in his skirt. Cliff gripped the firm muscle appreciatively. He ran his fingertips up his thigh, momentarily surprised to find cloth there. Curiously, his hand followed the stretched fabric, finding that it was on a string on the side—no surprise there. He followed it to the back, then smiled against Fayt's mouth.

He turned his head, kissing Fayt's neck briefly. "Sorry, I have to see this." He gently pushed Fayt aside. Fayt just immediately latched to Cliff again, kissing his neck, his arms, his chest as he tugged at his shirt. He wanted more of him, but knew he shouldn't, knew they shouldn't. They didn't have so much time as they would have wished. Albel smiled coyly at Cliff. Cliff shoved the skirt to the side, front and back. He gawked for several seconds, then looked Albel in the eyes. "I approve."

"I can see that."

Cliff laughed, and kissed him. Cliff lifted Albel by his waist, raising him up higher, like he had before. Because of a precise angling of Albel's legs, the skirt fell awkwardly to the side, completely exposing him in the front. With his teeth, Cliff gently pulled the purple thong down to his knees. He paused, then teased him with his tongue. He felt Albel's fingers curl into the back of his shirt. He gasped. Fayt was growing impatient. He unzipped and unbuttoned Cliff's pants. Cliff moaned at what Fayt was doing with his own mouth. He had to set Albel down, before he ended up dropping him. But Fayt was in the way…

Cliff ran his tongue along the length of him, then pulled Albel away. Carefully, he set him down beside him rather then in front of him. Albel looked at Fayt, then moved him over. He glanced at Cliff, then joined Fayt. Cliff's world suddenly plunged into a world of ecstasy. Fayt was skilled with his tongue and hands, and Albel could deep-throat, and both of them used their talents as best they could in conjunction with the other.

Albel decided that Fayt had been ignored long enough. With his right hand, he once again gripped Fayt and tried to keep a steady rhythm with his mouth and hand, lest he lose the ability to multi-task. Fayt reached toward Albel, toying with the head of the Elicoorian's lathered appendage.

Who climaxed first shouldn't be too difficult to guess; Cliff was getting the most attention. Albel didn't have to swallow so much as just let it run down his throat. He swallowed some of his spit, cleared his throat, and smiled up at Cliff. The blonde leaned down and kissed him, then turned and kissed Fayt. He shoved Albel and Fayt on to their backs, wormed one hand between each of their legs, and inside them, as they continued stroking each other.

It was unbelievably attractive, and Cliff thought he might get another erection from it. If that happened, they'd be here all day. Not a bad idea, but not a very punctual one either, and time is of the essence, after all.

Cliff saw Albel about to reach his limit. He leaned down, covering the head with his mouth. Occasionally, Fayt's fingers brushed his lips. Albel thrust into his mouth twice, and a few more times as he came. Cliff swallowed the bitter tasting stuff, making a face. Both of them turned their attention completely to Fayt. Albel, who apparently liked giving head, pulled Fayt in to his mouth with his teeth. Cliff observed that Albel's cute purple thong was still around his knees. He licked his lips, then glanced back at Fayt. He shoved another finger inside him, twisting his wrist.

Fayt gasped, panting. His back arched, and he wailed. It caught Albel a little by surprise. A dribble of white semen ran from his lips. Cliff leaned forward and licked it off of Albel's chin, not missing an opportunity to kiss him as well. He pulled his fingers out of Fayt and found some moist napkins in the "item menu" to clean his fingers off. Thirsty, they delved once more in to the item menu for a bottle of cider that they shared after adjusting their clothing.

Cliff leaned forward and whispered in Albel's ear, "We're doing a fetish sometime."

Mirage called Cliff, demanding to know where the hell he was. Albel leaned forward toward the communicator. "We got distracted," he said.

A pause at the other end, then a brief scuffle. Maria had apparently relieved Mirage of her communicator. "Give me details!" she insisted.

Cliff hung up. Fayt blushed. "Shall we go?" he asked shyly. Fayt led the way back to Blair.

Sophia waved to him, then giggled. "I thought you said you'd be waiting here?" she teased.

Fayt's face flushed as red as Albel's eyes. He hid behind Cliff. Maria and Nel looked anxiously at them, in an excited manner. "Fill us in on the details," the Earthling said again.

Cliff scowled at her. "Mind your own business."

Blair was released from confinement, and they spoke briefly, then moved back to the teleporter area. Blair fixed it and they continued on their long journey to the Owner.

The path was long, arduous, confusing, and involved a lot of twists, turns, puzzles, and backtracking. Fayt demanded pain medication for his headache after the third coloured crystal puzzle. Blair paused a moment, fixed some parameters, and his headache disappeared.

"Guess it was a good thing we got this ring," Fayt commented to anyone who cared to listen, looking at the Ring of Disintegration. "We'd be stuck without it."

"Seems like everything has worked out for us so far," Sophia agreed hopefully.

Maria, ever suspicious of everything, was skeptical. "It seems convenient to me."

Nothing more was said of the matter. Rather than stopping for meals, Blair just messed with their parameters any time someone got hungry or tired. In this manner, they eventually reached the last place. They looked at the large doors to the room ahead, feeling a deep sense of doom permeating the air.

They looked at each other—perhaps for the last time. They all thought about their lives, their hopes, their dreams, what they wanted. This was it. It all ends here—for better or worse. They would either save their galaxy, or everyone and everything would die. Not that they would notice, because they would be dead too.

Fayt touched Albel's arm for reassurance. Albel looked down at him and kissed his temple in warm reassurance. Fayt's fingers found Cliff's wrist. The blonde tousled Fayt's hair affectionately. Fayt smiled a little. Why even worry? Cliff always took care of him, and Albel did too.

Albel felt a little apprehensive actually. It wasn't a feeling he was used to, and he didn't like it at all. Usually, he was confident and self-assured. However… He felt the full weight of responsibility. If he should fall, it wasn't only his own problem; it was everyone else's problem too, and possibly their doom. But even still, they had come this far, and this "Luther" was only one man. Besides, he had Fayt and Cliff with him. He knew he could pull through.

Cliff's over-confidence was even dimmed. This guy was the head-honcho, the Creator of the Eternal Sphere, their world. It was a little intimidating to meet a guy like that, even on the best of terms. Now, they had to try to convince him to stop what he was doing. If they failed… No, of course they wouldn't fail. He couldn't fail. If he failed, then there would be no more of anything—and no more Fayt, or Albel. No, he couldn't—wouldn't—let that happen. Not after all this.

The others all had their own fears, and private thoughts, and things to live for, and reasons why they must persevere, and reasons why they would, and had to. Courage gathered, they made their way down the hall to the doors.

For some reason, it felt a lot like walking quietly down the Green Mile.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter Eighteen**

_En Fin? Not quite._

Past the door was Luther, and it was soon revealed that he and Blair were siblings. Blair adamantly defended the Eternal Sphere, pleading with him to leave them be. Luther had none of it.

The conversation between Blair and Luther bothered all of them, as he went on and on about how they were nothing but game characters, data. Maria was probably the most affected; she knew about computers and programs. She had the most vivid idea of what it meant. But, as Sophia had put it, if they dropped a dish, it still breaks. They still felt pain, and could think for themselves, and still had emotions.

And so, the creation rebelled against the creator and a fight ensued. Blair seemed mortified. She had seen that they were fully capable of killing four dimensional beings, and while Luther was destroying their galaxy and everything they knew, he was still her brother.

Luther put up a tough fight, but their combined strength defeated him.

The Owner, astonished, reeled. Unable to be convinced of their right to live, he decided to just delete everything and start all over. If the other programmers had been there, they might have cried at all their hard work going to waste. He seemed as if he were more than slightly insane and needed to be admitted in to the nearest mental hospital and highly medicated.

Needless to say, a second fight followed the first, this one more difficult. Luther seemed to be powered by the madness driving him, an insane desire to destroy the Eternal Sphere.

The fight was tough, and they very nearly almost lost, but in the end, persevered. They had to. Luther passed away, but it seemed as though the destruction he had unleashed before was cascading throughout the Eternal Sphere.

Blair, horrified, announced their doom, each place that no longer existed, whole societies vanishing. They looked at each other, waiting for the time when they, too, would cease to exist.

Fayt reached out and touch Cliff's chest. It was still there. He felt it. Was that really just a program too? He ran his hand over Albel's arm. He was still there. But something seemed strange.

He felt thin, like, somewhere, something was being pulled away from the whole, but then the whole was being separated, and…

But they existed. They might just be programs, but they believed that they existed. Fayt gripped Albel's arm. His fingers dug in to Cliff's shirt. The other two looked at him, then each other.

For an instant, shading vanished, shapes vanished, colours bled together, then there was nothing.

There's nothing left. Everything's completely vanished. Life, air, even

my own body no longer exists. Absolute nothingness. Hmm? Nothingness? So

nothing really exists anymore? But, if that were true, than what about this

thought? This thought is real. And now, I'm aware of this thought. So, there is

something left. There has to be. That means that I'm still alive, Fayt thought joyously.

Fayt opened his eyes to see Sophia smiling down at him. "Welcome back, Fayt!"

They greeted each other. His eyes fell to Cliff and Albel, then to everyone else. He looked around. They were in a green field somewhere—on a planet like Elicoor or maybe even Earth.

No one really knew what had happened. Maria and Sophia had worked out a way that this could be. Their idea would put any psychologist, astrophysicist, or anyone who thinks analytically instead of artistically gibbering in the nut house, but it sounded good. If their minds were real, and they believed in their minds that what they saw as the universe was real, then it was real. So they were still alive. For the record, this means that the universe is only what they make of it and nothing more. If one of them decided that it should rain Swiss cheese and almond cookies from now on, and believed this was so, it likely would have been so (at least to some extent). Like I said, "gibbering in the nuthouse."

They didn't really know exactly where they were, but they assumed it must be somewhere on Elicoor. Maria fiddled with her communicator, and actually managed to contact _Diplo_. Marietta picked out their coordinates and they weren't far from Aquaria, so they decided to walk there.

Fayt felt really good about this. They had done it. They had saved the Eternal Sphere. He suddenly spun around and threw himself at Cliff, kissing him. Cliff kissed him back and set him back down. Fayt peered up at Albel, waiting for him. Albel leaned down and pressed his lips against Fayt's. Albel and Cliff looked at each other, then they kissed too.

Now everything was over. The threat had been dealt with. Everyone could move on. Then his mood darkened a little. But move on to what? He wanted to see if his mother was still alive. He wanted to see if Sophia's parents were still alive. He wanted to go home.

Cliff was anxious to get back to _Diplo_. He wanted some relaxation, maybe some normalcy. And no underdeveloped planets. He glanced at Albel. At least for a while anyway. He wanted some technology. He grinned as he decided what he would do next.

Albel didn't much care where he was or what he was doing. He would be content to stay on Elicoor, he supposed, but happy to go with Fayt or Cliff, preferably both, anywhere else. He had experienced a taste of the universe outside Elicoor, and he had enjoyed it. He was anxious to see more.

They passed through some country that Nel recognized and she led them through it right to Castle Aquaria. She went to report, and the others sort of split up and milled about for a bit. Fayt decided he would go take a nap. He saw Albel on his way to the castle.

"Oh, I'm surprised you're still around," Fayt commented. Albel scowled. "Sorry—I just thought you'd bolt off to Airyglyph."

He shook his head a little. "No. I will, but not yet."

Fayt stretched. "I'm going to go take a nap," he said, attempting to walk past him.

Albel walked beside him. "No you're not."

The Earthling scowled. "Yes I am. I'm going to bed."

The Elicoorian grinned. "Oh, you're going to bed all right, but you won't be napping."

Fayt actually liked the sound of that. "All right. Let's go find Cliff." They set off in search of him. They found him in a couple minutes, walking the halls in the castle. Albel informed him of what they were up to. Cliff grinned and went with them to their room.

Cliff slammed the door shut. Fayt and Albel were pulling off each other's clothes. He watched them for a moment, then grabbed a chair and propped it against the door to keep away unwanted visitors.

Albel leaned down, licking Fayt's nipples, teasing the nubs with his teeth. Cliff licked his lips in anticipation, feeling a part of him stretch seeing them both naked and fondling each other. The blonde peeled off his clothes and kicked them aside. With both hands, he lifted the two of them, grunting with the effort. They weighed well over two hundred pounds together—which was awkward to lift at once. He dropped them on the bed. Then he smiled. He picked Fayt up, and with his other hand, laid Albel down on his back. Albel looked at him, a little confused. Cliff set Fayt down on top of Albel, positioning the Elicoorian with one hand, lowering Fayt on to him with the other. Fayt squirmed, back arching. Cliff watched Fayt writhe on Albel for a minute or two, watching the two of them pant, sweat, and moan.

Cliff moved his fingers along himself, wondering how long he should wait. He could really appreciate the view like this, and they just looked fantastic. Albel jerked his hips up, bouncing Fayt on him. Fayt cried out, then pushed down against Albel, moving using his thighs and hips. Albel groaned, his fingers gliding along Fayt's legs. Cliff climbed on the bed with them and moved Albel's legs a little farther apart, taking the time to appreciate the well-toned muscle of his thighs and calves. He watched Fayt again, drinking in Fayt's sweat-slicked naked body.

Dampening the area of his intent with saliva, and then combing it over himself as well to make entry easier (he made a mental note to buy some lube later), he eased himself inside Albel. Albel shook, moaning loudly. Cliff wrapped an arm around Fayt's waist, moving Fayt in rhythm with his own body. Albel ran his fingers over Fayt's erect member, stroking him, making sure that the uke got as much attention and pleasure as possible.

Cliff pulled back almost all the way. Albel's breathing quickened in anticipation; he remembered this. Cliff watched him tremble, waiting impatiently. Albel growled his impatience, jerking against him. The movement also moved Fayt. Fayt cried out, the cry ending in a moan. Fayt leaned back against Cliff. Cliff kissed Fayt's neck, lifting him with both hands, then slammed in to Albel, dropping Fayt. Albel screamed, but the cry was choked off as Cliff's fingers wrapped around his throat, heightening Albel's pleasure. Albel panted, moaning, gasping, and occasionally gagging as Cliff pounded relentlessly in to him, holding Fayt against him, kissing Fayt—any and every part of Fayt that he could reach.

Fayt cried out loudly, gasping, pushing against Albel, thrusting in to the Glyphian's hand, leaning back against Cliff. He panted, jerked his hips again, and came, hard. It spilled over Albel's chest. Albel moaned, chest heaving. Fayt slid against him until he stopped. He panted. He freed himself from Cliff's arms and tumbled out of bed, spent. He heaved himself on to the other bed and fell over, watching the other two. Cliff leaned over Albel and kissed him. The Elicoorian threw his arms around Cliff, wrapping his legs around Cliff's waist. Cliff took him like that for a time, then lifted him up. Albel moved against him, writhing in pleasure.

Cliff lifted Albel off of him. Albel pouted. Cliff stood up, bending Albel over the bed. He leaned down, ramming back into him. The entire bed pitched forward. Albel cried out. Fayt looked up, watching intently.

Cliff hauled back on Albel's rat tails, jerking his head back. The Glyphian moaned. Cliff used his hair like reigns as he took him. He slapped him in the rump, groaning when the other clenched around him. Albel gasped. Fayt felt blood beginning to rush back down to his groin.

Cliff leaned over Albel, moving as quickly and as hard as he dared. Albel pushed back against him, groaning. Fayt felt his cock stiffen again. Cliff's thighs were beginning to ache from the position. He scooped Albel up again. Fayt, not missing an opportunity, hopped back on the bed.

Albel eyed Fayt with a lusty look in his eyes. "Ready again so soon?" he cooed. Cliff jerked his hips. Albel moaned, arching his back. Cliff dropped him down nearly on top of Fayt. Fayt cried out in surprise. Albel smothered the cry with a kiss. He shoved Fayt's legs apart and pushed back inside him. Fayt shuddered, moving his hips against him. He grabbed on to Albel, moving himself against him. Albel moaned, then gasped as Cliff entered him again. Cliff's fingers wrapped around his neck, his other hand pinching his nipples, then moving down to his thighs, rubbing the taught muscle.

Cliff leaned back, tensing himself, then forced himself into Albel. The Elicoorian screamed, releasing inside Fayt. Cliff pumped in and out of him as he did too. Fayt shuddered. Albel's hands encircled Fayt, moving on him, kissing him. He teased him to climax. The three migrated to the other bed, lying together, panting and trying to catch their breath.

"Who wants to go again?" Cliff asked between breaths of air. "In a few minutes?"  
The other two didn't answer. Cliff looked at Fayt. He was dead asleep, and Albel was fading. He smiled, and got comfortable, letting his breathing even. Maybe when they woke then.

However, waking from their nap, they were all more hungry than horny, so took off for some food. After lunch, Fayt took a walk. Cliff headed up to the _Diplo_.

Albel walked up to Cliff. "Leaving so soon?"

Cliff grinned. "Nope. I'm doing something for you and Fayt, and everybody else too."

"What's that?"

He scowled. "If I told you, it'd ruin the surprise." The swordsman scowled in turn. "At any rate, I need to go up to _Diplo_ to do it."

"I'll go with you."

"Fine."

Little did the threesome know that Maria and Nel had installed a tiny camera with a battery system in the corner of the room just a few hours before, putting it in the corner to record as much action as possible. The feed went straight to Maria's computer terminal on the _Diplo_. The camera was motion-activated and only turned on to movement to conserve the battery. Maria found the recording an hour or two after the actual event happened. She was pleased by its first recording, and immediately went to fetch Nel. She teleported down to Elicoor and found Nel in Castle Aquaria. The two hurried up to her room. Twenty minutes later, they were sitting on the floor, in front of Maria's television screen, eating snacks and sipping beverages of their choice as they watched their boys love hentai.

However, little did they know that Fayt had wanted to ask Maria about a few more things—how she had come to find him being one of them, perhaps a bit more about herself. He also wanted to ask her if she would be so kind as to take him somewhere.

In a typical Fayt-like manner, Fayt didn't knock before entering her room. His attention was immediately drawn to the screen. He stared in the doorway, shocked, horrified, and appalled. He was so appalled that he couldn't move, and his face couldn't decide whether it wanted to go ashen or redden. It finally decided on red. He covered his gaping mouth with one hand, eyes wide. The girls chuckled, a little awkwardly.

Cliff saw Fayt and went to greet him. He paused at the door, hearing sounds he knew sounded pretty familiar. His gaze fell to the screen, and the two grinning girls. The grins were slightly nervous, though. Cliff's jaw fell open. He just hoped that Albel didn't…

But Albel had been aboard _Diplo_ with Cliff, and saw Fayt and Cliff in the doorway. Curious, he walked over to them and glanced inside. He stared at the screen. He looked to Nel and Maria, their grins now quite distinctly nervous. He glanced from Fayt to Cliff, observing the horrified expressions on their faces. He realized that he could end their horror if the screen were gone. Albel pushed Fayt aside and reached for his sword.

Maria threw her hand out, casting her power toward her television, and, as a second thought, her computer, and just in time.

"Air Slash!" It was rendered ineffective, however. If Maria's power rendered a gun shot at point blank ineffective, then it was pretty damn indestructible.

Albel shrugged. _Well, I tried._ He sheathed his sword and sat down beside Maria and Nel. He watched the screen for a moment and pointed at Cliff. "See! Look at Fayt! You need to work harder!" he accused. There was one brief moment where Fayt had a blank expression on his face. This was actually because he was so dizzy, but it looked like he was bored.

Cliff frowned. "You were the one…" His voice faded as he decided to stop there and then. Trying to convince Albel to see reason after he had decided that something was "so" was like trying to peel a potato with a toothbrush. In fact, peeling the potato with a toothbrush just might be easier. "Oh, forget it."

Albel stared back at the screen. "And, Fayt, you need to—"

Fayt fled from the room before Albel could finish his sentence. Cliff tore off after him. The door slid shut. Albel shrugged and looked back at the screen. The girls decided to not look a gift horse in the mouth and went back to watching it too. Albel occasionally provided commentary on the video.

Fayt ran and hid in Cliff's room. He collapsed on the chair, hiding his face from no one in particular. The door opened, but it was just Cliff.

Neither of them said anything for a while. Finally, Cliff broke the silence. "Well, that's going to make things real awkward now."

The Earthling looked up. He had a flat look on his face. "It may have helped if Albel weren't in there _watching_ it with them," he said.

"If it bothers you, we could always go 'kidnap' Albel."

Fayt paused as he considered this. "Why were you two up here anyway?"

Cliff shrugged a shoulder. "I was doing something, and Albel came with me. What about you?"

"I wanted to ask Maria if she would be so kind as to drop me and Sophia off somewhere to look for our parents."

Cliff paused. Ah, so that's how it was. "Oh." He glanced at the door again. "Well, do you want to go 'kidnap' Albel?"

Fayt considered. Right now, the Elicoorian was watching _porn_ with Maria and Nel. He did not need to be doing that—ever. "Yeah, let's go." They made up a quick plan and snuck off down the hall. Each of them stood at either side of the door. Fayt opened it and they ran through. Not looking at the screen, Cliff grabbed Albel, threw him over his shoulder, and ran off back to the sanctity of his bedroom. Fayt came after them. The Klausian dropped Albel on his bed.

Albel glared at him. "What the hell!?" he demanded. Cliff sat down in his chair and ignored him, trying to decide what to do about Maria and Nel. Ah, first, get rid of the camera.

"Hey, Fayt, let's go find that camera."  
"Okay."

"You too, Albel," Cliff instructed.

"What if I want to stay here?"

Cliff stood up, glowering down at Albel, who was not intimidated in the least. "I didn't give you an option. You can walk, or I'm going to carry you."

Albel started to cross his arms defiantly, realized his gauntlet was in the way, so crossed his legs instead. "Hmph."

"Well…" Cliff heaved Albel up again, throwing him over his shoulder. Fayt smiled up at Albel. The Elicoorian growled at him. Cliff carried him out of the room. He glanced at Albel's legs, hanging limply, then his eyes trailed up a bit farther. He slipped his hand inside Albel's skirt, massaging his thighs and buttocks. Albel punched him in the back, but couldn't really get enough momentum for the swing to be very effective. He couldn't reach his sword either. Fayt frowned at him. They teleported down to Elicoor and before they entered Aquios, Cliff set Albel down. Albel punched him in the stomach and stalked off, toward the castle, grumbling something about "decapitating the ape."

They found the camera in the corner of the room. Fayt waved a sarcastic hello at it before Cliff smashed it. Albel slunk out of the room.

Something suddenly occurred to Fayt. He knew very little about the other two. "Hey, Cliff…" he said.

"Hmm?" the other answered.

"Tell me about yourself. Like what you were doing before we met."

Cliff frowned. "Why?"  
Fayt shrugged. "I don't know very much about you and Albel. I'd like to, so could you tell me a bit?"

Cliff sat down and got comfortable. He decided to highlight a bit of his life, his training, joining Quark, being leader of Quark, rescuing Maria, letting her take over when she was older, and such. "Your turn."

Fayt shrugged a shoulder. "I'm sure you know enough about me. I'm a college student. Pretty ordinary I guess." Cliff raised an eyebrow. "Well, ordinary aside from the symbolical genetics thing. But, ordinary. I like video games…" Cliff laughed in irony. Fayt scowled. "I have a pretty… nuclear family, I guess." He paused. "'Had,' I should say." Suddenly, all the grief from all the loss hit him. It was all over. It was time to grieve, finally. He looked down. "Hey, could I be alone for a while?"

Cliff paused, looking at him. He kissed Fayt's forehead before he left the room. Fayt let all the loss hit him, and the full brunt of his father's death hit him. His mother was probably still alive. Sophia had mentioned something about how her parents and his mother could be on a different planet somewhere. He needed to look in to it. Still, not knowing if it really was his mother… Well, he felt orphaned actually. Yes, he was technically an adult. But he was still a kid too, and he felt orphaned.

He didn't cry, per se. All the tears were gone. Instead, he sighed deeply, and fell on to one of the beds. He curled up in a fetal position, trying to cope with the complete idea that his father was gone forever.

Cliff passed Albel in the hall. Albel frowned. "Where's Fayt?" he wondered.

The Klausian jerked a thumb back towards their room. "He wanted to be alone for a while."

The Elicoorian's frown deepened. "How come?"

Cliff sighed. "We were talking, and he reminded himself of his father. So now I guess he's finally grieving for him." He glanced back at the room. "He's been suppressing it for a while, so it's only natural, I suppose."

Albel's eyes tried to soften in empathy, failed, and hardened again. "Hmph." He turned on his heel and walked away. Cliff noticed that he was headed for the room Fayt was in. Albel poked his head inside, glancing around for Fayt. His eyes came to rest on Fayt. The kid had apparently fallen asleep. Albel quietly stepped inside. He crept over to the edge of the bed and peered at Fayt. His eyes were red and a little puffy, but not wet, and he wasn't very relaxed either. Nightmares? Quite possibly. Albel reached out a hand to wake him. He paused. Was it really the right thing to do?

Fayt groaned, tightening further into a ball. He heard a strangled cry escape Fayt's throat. Albel shook his shoulder gently. Fayt jerked in surprise, then calmed when he saw Albel. "Oh…" he murmured. He glanced away. "Hi." Albel struggled internally for a moment. Words failed him, so he grabbed Fayt, hugging him close to him. Fayt wrapped his arms around him briefly, then pulled away. He smiled weakly. Albel sat down beside him. "I asked Cliff to tell me about himself, then I started talking about myself… and…" Fayt stopped. He composed himself and changed the subject. "Tell me about yourself."

Albel stared at him for a moment. "I'm here. That's all you ever need to know." He rose to his feet and left the room.

Fayt suddenly felt determined to find out more about him. And if Albel wouldn't say anything, he had a pretty good idea of who could. It involved a small journey elsewhere, but he felt determined.

Albel mentioned something about going back to Airyglyph. Fayt volunteered to go with him. Naturally, Cliff tagged along too. Maria warned them that they were leaving in a few days though. They made good time and got to Kirlsa on the first day. They stayed at the inn for the night.

"Haven't you ever been curious about Albel's past?" Fayt asked Cliff.

"Not really," he responded absently. "If he wants to tell me anything, he will."

"I see." Fayt dropped the subject and went to take a walk alone. Cliff saw Fayt go in to Woltar's mansion. Cliff raised an eyebrow and continued walking. He made a trip to the workshop and took the long way back to the inn. He passed Albel on the street.

"Hey, Albel, you may want to go defend your honour," Cliff said, jamming a thumb behind him at Count Woltar's mansion.

"Why?" he asked suspiciously.

Cliff grinned. "Fayt was going to ask him about you. How long has the guy known ya?"

Albel all but vanished as he sprinted for the building. Upon seeing him, all the soldiers potentially in his way vaulted out of his path. He came tearing up the stairs and paused at the top, listening. The door was slightly ajar.

"… Ah, yes. I remember Albel when he was only about yeh high…" A slight chuckle. "Peering up at me from behind his father's leg…"

Fayt giggled.

The door was suddenly thrown open. Albel glowered at them. Woltar was unperturbed and thus continued. Something about remembering Albel being carried by mommy and daddy sort of diminished any fear he might have had otherwise. "Rotten little brat he was too," he went on. Albel snarled at him. "Glued to daddy's leg." He smiled knowingly. "Oh, how times change."

"Tell me about him growing up," Fayt urged, glancing back at Albel and smiling at him.

"No," the Captain of the Black Brigade snapped.

"I wasn't asking you. You wouldn't tell me anyway," he complained.

"Exactly. Come on, Fayt."

Woltar smirked. "Once, Albel fell down the stairs outside, just the short flight of steps on the patio. Scraped his knee and his elbows up pretty bad." He laughed. Albel's face reddened, as he remembered. "You should have heard—"

Albel snatched Fayt by the collar and hauled him out of the room. "But I want to hear the rest of the story!" Fayt whined.

"No!"  
Fayt pouted. "But what happened?"

"I was three, worm," he answered flatly. "Naturally, I cried."

"You can cry?"

"No."

Albel pushed and prodded him down the stairs. Fayt sighed and followed the urgings, a bit against his will. The Elicoorian shoved him toward the front door. "But this is my only chance to find out about your childhood…"

"Try asking _me_ sometime," he muttered.

"But you won't answer," he pouted.

He shoved him out the door. "You can still ask, fool."

Fayt frowned, then said. "Then tell me about when you were a little kid. Did you have a mullet then too?"

Albel kicked him down the stairs of the patio.

While all this was going on, Cliff asked Maria about his little plan. She confirmed that the situation was a "go." Excellent. This was just what everyone needed too.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter Nineteen**

_Maybe_

After Albel had spoken with his ruling monarch for a bit about how the universe was safe (ish) now, Cliff contacted Maria, informing her that they were ready to go. Diplo swung around and teleported them up rather than make them walk all the long way back to Aquaria. Maria greeted them at the teleporter room. Nel was scowling behind her in the background about something. Mirage looked thoroughly annoyed.

Mirage approached Cliff. "Do you know where we're going? Maria hasn't said a word," she complained. She didn't like it when she was kept in the dark about something, even for a surprise. She would rather know about it.

Cliff grinned. Maria had followed through with his plan and not ruined the surprise. He was glad, because she was the only one in on it and no one else had a clue. "You'll see when we get there."

Nel's scowl deepened. "So you do know where we're going."

"Yeah, but it'll only be a few hours until we get there. You can wonder until then," he said, striding off to his room to check his e-mail that had been neglected for the God of Internet only knows how long. Fayt shrugged and he and Albel went for a leisurely stroll around _Diplo_. Mirage went to her room, pondering what this "surprise" could be. Nel wandered off by herself, and Maria returned to the control room. Sophia didn't mind a surprise, unlike almost everyone else, and happily went to her room to mull over what it could possibly be.

When they arrived, Maria and Cliff ushered everyone to the teleporter and Marietta sent them down, promising to swing back by in a week, causing great suspicion in most of the group. They peered around the immediate area. Fayt brightened. "A resort?" he asked, smiling a little at Sophia. She smiled back. This had all begun at a resort, and, it seemed, would slowly draw to a close at one too. And being at such a nice place with his two lovers would be wonderful. Some romance would certainly add to their sex lives as well as their relationships with each other. Some relaxation was exactly what everyone needed right now.

"Yeah. I figured we all needed and deserved a break after all that," the male Klausian said matter-of-factly. "Let's go check in."

"How'd you ever get reservations so soon?" Sophia asked. There was no way he had made them at the usual time one would have to schedule for this type of vacation—which was usually a year or so prior.

"Ask Maria," Cliff said smugly.

"Maria?" Sophia said, looking at her. Maria pretended not to hear her and continued toward the reception desk. Fayt assumed this might have something to do with Maria's hacking prowess more than anything else. The resort also didn't seem too busy, and the recent war with the Creator may have added to that. Sophia sighed and looked at Fayt again seriously. "This time, you're going swimming with me!"

Fayt laughed. This would be great, and it was very much deserved this time.

After they checked in their rooms, they decided on the plan for the rest of the day. They were all splitting up to do whatever and meeting up at a nearby restaurant for dinner. The girls were headed to the salon for manicures, pedicures, and other girl things. Adray had declined the invitation, so that left Fayt, Albel, and Cliff. Cliff glanced over a brochure. "Wanna hit the beach?" he asked. "Or we could get a masseuse? That might be nice."

They both sounded good to Fayt. "Let's go to the beach first, and then when we're tired, we'll get the masseuse." This was agreeable, so the threesome removed any unnecessary clothing (greaves, armor, weaponry, gloves, etc), grabbed some towels, and went down to the beach. It was off-season on this particular planet, so there weren't a whole lot of people. The war with the Executioners probably helped too. A lot of people had died in it. Needless to say, a lot of people probably had "cancelled" their reservations. Maybe it wasn't such a wonder that they had got in so quickly. Fayt tried not to think about it. There was nothing to be done about it now, after all.

Fayt went swimming. Cliff decided to join him and half-drowned him in the water, playfully. Fayt pretended to drown and Cliff kissed him back to "life." Just silly things that lovers do sometimes. They played in the tide. Fayt stepped on a crab and screamed quite a bit after that. Cliff nearly split his sides laughing, as the saying goes. Albel sat on the beach and watched them for a while, stretched out on a towel. He didn't do the "relax and enjoy yourself" thing very well. Truth be told, it made him uncomfortable. Like a nagging feeling that he should be doing something else but wasn't. The most uncomfortable thing about it was that he _knew_ there was nothing—absolutely nothing—better that he could be doing. Except maybe something involving the other two, a large bed, and dim lights. But right now, they wanted to enjoy the beach. That was fine; he could wait. Besides, the other two looked like they were having fun.

He drank in the picture of Fayt and Cliff, both dripping with seawater, as they dove in the waves. They looked happy, and the late afternoon sun glistening off the water looked beautiful. It was a gorgeous image, to be sure, and Albel appreciated the view. His seme and uke looked good.

Cliff came back, dripping wet. "Come in the water."

"It'll ruin my clothes," Albel pointed out.

Cliff rolled his blue eyes. "Then don't wear anything. The beach is almost empty. No one is around."

"You and Fayt too," he said absently.

Cliff waved at Fayt to catch his attention. He motioned for the college kid to join them. Fayt trotted up the beach to the other two. "Albel won't go in the water unless we're all naked."

Fayt blushed, then scowled. He glanced around the beach self-consciously. There was another couple off by themselves, walking away, and there was a group of people way down the beach, little specks really. A couple locals wandered around, but everyone was far enough away to not notice that sort of thing. He looked back at the other two. "He just wants to have sex," he pointed out, waving vaguely at the other swordsman.

"How perceptive," the Elicoorian said, his voice dripping with sarcasm like vanilla icecream on a hot summer's day. Fayt jumped on him, the ocean water clinging to his body, clothes, and hair dribbling on to the samurai and his clothes. Albel made a startled noise of surprise and concern for his clothing, trying to shove Fayt off of him before the water ruined the dye on the fabric. To hell he would wear anything that looked splotchy, and he liked this outfit; it looked good on him. Of course, anything form-fitting usually looked good on him.

Fayt managed to pry his clothes off of him and tossed them aside. "Take off your gloves too," he insisted, trying to pull them off. He didn't care so much about the gloves. They were more there to serve a purpose than anything else. Besides, as many times as blood had splattered on them, and thus far they weren't irreparably ruined, he figured they would be fine, but the rest of the outfit wasn't something to risk.

Albel grabbed him around the middle, no longer concerned about ruining the dye on his clothes, and rolled so that Fayt was laying on his back, pinned under him. He kissed his lips several times, his neck, and used his teeth to unzip Fayt's damp shirt, molesting him with both gloved hands. He shoved the wet clothes aside, nearly getting carried away as he worked on pulling off the clinging, wet shorts.

"Hey," Cliff said, grabbed Albel's hair and hauled him partway up. "Not here. Let's go in the water." Albel waited for Cliff to undress, touching Fayt's chest absently with his hands as he watched. Fayt moaned, then batted Albel's hands away. The Elicoorian was undeterred and just continued. Cliff threw his clothes aside. The sunlight glistened on the droplets of water in his yellow hair and sun-kissed skin. The three dashed down into the water. Albel pounced back on Fayt. The two fell in the water, tumbling and rolling under. The waves crashed down on them. Sand slid under them. They gasped for air. As Albel found what he sought, Fayt gasped again for a different reason. He jerked his hips, spreading his legs more. Albel pushed further inside him, moaning. He glanced back at Cliff urgently. Another wave crashed. Cliff gently eased them both out of the deeper water before they drowned. He climbed on top of the Elicoorian, kissing his shoulder gently, tasting the seawater. He ran his hands along his thighs, enjoying the flexing muscle as the other moved inside Fayt.

He touched Fayt's calves, gliding his fingers up to his hips. Water swirled around them. Fayt twisted against Albel, raising his head above the water, holding on to him tightly. Cliff positioned himself. Slowly, he eased inside Albel. Albel, however, was impatient, and pushed back against him roughly. Flinching a little, he gasped. Fayt slid against him. Another large wave crashed down on them. The three intertwined bodies moved, writhed, gasped for air. They were sometimes nearly obscured by the water. Wet sand was caked to their skin and just as quickly washed off by the saltwater.

As the tide came in, a large wave rolled over them, not enough to move them or drown them, but enough to plunge all three underwater. Fayt gasped, reaching his limit. The tide carried his release. Albel leaned forward and kissed his lips. Cliff leaned back, pushing hard in to Albel. Albel grunted, pitching forward. Fayt groaned, his grip on Albel tightening. The Elicoorian arched his back for a better angle, jerking his hips into Fayt, then pushing back against Cliff. Once more, then again. He groaned, then shuddered as he reached his limit. Cliff held him close to him, moving inside him. Another wave came. Fayt held his breath. Cliff barely managed to keep his head above the water. Albel twisted against him, bending just perfectly. He ground into him. He gasped. That was it. He came into his bowels, panting for breath.

Albel realized something was missing. He looked around desperately for a moment and flung himself awkwardly at something floating in the water. He picked it up before the tide carried it away forever, the sopping wet fabric nearly slipping through his fingers. It was his right glove.

"I told you to take off your gloves," Fayt muttered in an I-told-you-so voice. Albel pulled the soaking left one up a little higher, ignoring him. The three trudged back to the towels through the sand. The wind stirred the beach, blowing sand on them. It clung to their wet limbs like a second layer of sandpaper skin, some of it even catching in their hair. This is the only problem with a beach—the sand sticking to wet skin the way it does. The three wrapped themselves up in their towels, drying off their hands and arms as best they could, but it was useless to try to dry their legs and feet, which were so caked with sand it would only dirty the towels. There was a place near the door to the hotel where they could rinse the sand from their legs and feet before they walked in, so they did and dried off briefly before heading inside.

They carried their clothes with them as they traveled to their room. Cliff had booked the three a suite, mostly because of the king-sized bed. They took turns using the large shower in the bigger bathroom, as it was the nicer of the two. They might have all jumped in together, as it was quite definitely large enough, but the three were fairly tired, and actually did need to wash off the saltwater and get the sand out of their hair. Fayt came out of the shower, towel-drying his hair.

"Let's not do that again," he decided. "Sex on the beach isn't as great as it sounds."

Cliff laughed. Kid obviously got some sand down between his legs. How uncomfortable. "Albel, you're next."

Albel spent forty-five minutes in the shower washing sand out of his hair. Fayt blow-dried his lover's hair while Cliff showered. All of Fayt's efforts to make Albel's hair look somewhat kempt came to ruin though when Albel wrapped his hair up again, and then shoved his hair back in front of his face like it normally was. Fayt sighed deeply.

It was about time for dinner, so they put on a change of clothes (their second outfits) and traversed down to the restaurant. No one commented on how odd it was that their skin, hair, and eye colour all changed depending on what they were wearing as this sort of thing was considered "normal."

The girls were perusing menus when they arrived. They chatted casually for a bit, ordered their food and drinks, and in general had a pretty good time in each other's company. Someone started playing a piano somewhere in the restaurant.

Sophia hummed along to the tune happily, near singing it aloud. Fayt started humming with her. She laughed softly, humming the higher part as he hummed the lower. He stood up, holding his hand out to her, smiling. She grinned and took it. The pair whisked away to dance. Albel looked up at them. Should they really be doing that? Well, no harm done anyway, a dance between friends. And they had known each other a long time. They seemed so easy in each other's presence too. Of course, old friends were always like that. At least the two were still friends. Better that than torn apart over Fayt's previous decision.

Feeling suddenly inspired, other couples around the restaurant, laughing, joined in. Quickly, any open space became a dance floor. Cliff suddenly grinned, offering his hand to Mirage. She smiled up at him, sliding her hand in to his. He pulled her out onto the new dance floor. Like Sophia and Fayt, they were at ease in each other's presence, laughing and occasionally tripping over each other's feet. Mirage stumbled and fell against Cliff's chest. Albel's eyes leveled. She laughed, holding on to him as she righted herself and backed up an appropriate distance again. He knew Cliff's odd attachment for Mirage, and he wasn't so sure he liked them dancing together. He looked over at Fayt.

"Remember our last high school prom?" Fayt said, grabbing Sophia's waist and spinning her around in a circle. He set her down, taking her hand again. "You taught me how to dance."

She laughed, remembering. "You stepped all over my feet," she said. "You were terrible at first." The song changed to something slower. The dancers slowed. "But you got a lot better."

The three back at the table glanced at each other briefly. Maria rested her chin in her palm. "Well, isn't this exciting," she muttered.

Nel glanced at Albel. "Here's to cannon pairings." She held her hand out to him. "Come on, Albel."

He stood up, taking her offered hand and led her out to the dance floor. "Aquarian scum," he insulted her casually.

"Glyphian barbarian," she countered coolly. They spun around the dance floor, casually insulting each other with friendly familiarity. Anyone who happened to overhear them would have assumed that they hated each other.

This left Maria sitting at the table alone. She might have looked lonely, but she was a loner by nature so she wasn't really bothered by this. She looked at the others, who seemed pretty transfixed on their partners, the music, and not running in to the other dancers. She grinned wickedly and picked up a few packages of salt, pepper, and sugar from the table. After all, the drinks had arrived while the others were dancing.

The music stopped playing as the pianist's fingers cramped, and everyone returned to their seats, a little winded and in high spirits. Maria sat with a small, placid smile on her face, a strange glint in her eyes, sipping her strawberry lemonade. Thirsty, chatting, the others reached for their drinks. Albel happened to glance at Maria as he started to reach for his cocktail. She smiled pleasantly at him, a mischievous glint in her blue eyes. He looked at his drink, back at her, and then folded his arms calmly. No one else happened to notice. About at the same time, the others took their first sip of their assorted beverages. Almost immediately, everyone at the table except Albel, who hadn't touched his drink, and Maria, who hadn't spiked her drink with something that shouldn't be in it, grimaced. Cliff turned his head and spit on the floor to rid his mouth of the horrid taste. Mirage and Fayt fumbled for their napkins. Sophia and Nel shuddered and forced themselves to swallow.

Slowly, all heads turned to Maria and Albel, the only two who hadn't had some reaction to their drinks. Nel, Fayt, Cliff, Sophia, and Mirage all quickly weighed what they knew of Maria versus what they knew of Albel. Who was more likely to have done this? Maria was more of a lady and certainly wasn't prone to such things. Albel, however, liked to stir up shit. Adversely, this was more of a juvenile prank, and Maria was the teenager. Nel also knew that Albel had been with her the entire time. Nel's gaze fell to Maria, an un-amused expression on her face.

Maria continued to smile placidly. Cliff knew that Maria wasn't the type to indulge in childish pranks. He glared at Albel. Mirage frowned in thought. Maria _had_ been alone at the table. However, she just didn't seem to be the sort… She sided with Cliff and glared at Albel. Sophia immediately decided that it had to be Albel. She scowled at him. Fayt looked from Maria to Albel. Who could it have been?

"Albel, do you have something you want to admit to?" Cliff said calmly, drumming his fingers on the tabletop.

"No," he answered.

The blonde raised an eyebrow. "That so? So are you gonna say you didn't put pepper in my beer?"

"Yes."

"And you expect me to believe you?"

Albel raised an eyebrow for emphasis. "Yes."

"So you're going to insist it wasn't you."

"Yes!"  
Nel raised a hand for silence. "It couldn't have been Albel. He was with me the entire time." She scowled at Maria.

Mirage frowned. "Maria would never pull such a childish prank."

"It _couldn't_ have been Albel," Nel insisted.

"It's much more likely Albel than Maria," Sophia argued.

"I'm telling you, he was with me the entire time our drinks were here."

Everyone looked at Maria, who was the only one who had been here. She shrugged noncommittally. "I got up and went to the bathroom once," she said truthfully.

"Whatever," Fayt said, throwing his hands up in the air. He waved at the waiter, getting his attention. "We'll just send them back." This seemed to satisfy the others. Fayt explained the prank to the waiter, who was actually the sort to appreciate a practical joke. The drinks were sent back and new ones returned.

Everyone but Albel and Maria debated on who it could have been and eventually they took a democratic vote. Fayt actually refused to vote, which was fine because then it couldn't end in a tie. The jury's conclusion was that the guilty one was Albel, who was actually innocent this time. Albel didn't care enough to defend himself and Maria said nothing to the contrary, ever the murderess without guilty conscience about someone else taking blame for her crime.

After dinner, everyone split up again. Maria tripped off with Mirage to the theatre. Nel went to the beach to take a walk, and Sophia left to do some shopping.

On the way back to the resort, Cliff and Fayt attempted to get Albel to admit to his crimes. Finally, he got fed up. "It was Maria!" he snapped. "Why do you automatically blame _me_?"

This gave them both pause. They considered this. All the likely signs were that it was Maria. She had been there, with no alibi. Fayt looked at Albel. He had been with Nel the entire time, and Nel had adamantly defended this point, and her drink had been salted too. Fayt sighed deeply. "Okay, it must have been Maria."

Cliff frowned. "No way. It couldn't be."

Albel raised an eyebrow. Fayt crossed his arms. "Well, Maria was the only one who was alone and her drink wasn't 'spiked.'"

"Why didn't you come to this conclusion earlier?" Albel demanded. Fayt shrugged helplessly. The Elicoorian sighed and glared accusingly at Cliff.

Cliff's frown deepened. "It just doesn't seem…" Then again, she hadn't really ever indulged in any childish pranks because she had been forced to grow up so quickly. Hell, it could have been her. In fact, it seemed pretty damn likely now that he really thought about it. He sighed, nodding his head. "Yes, I see."

"Good," Albel snapped. He pointed at him, then at Fayt. "Fix it."

Fayt jumped to reach for his communicator. Cliff crossed his arms defiantly. "Or what?"  
"I'm withholding sex," he said matter-of-factly.

Cliff blinked, processing this information. He grabbed his communicator. Albel judged this to be satisfactory. They called Mirage, expressing their new views, then accused the proper person, who immediately apologized and promised to foot the bill for brunch tomorrow to make up for this. They happened to see Nel on the way to the beach and Cliff apologized for arguing with her. She felt satisfied and continued off alone.

"There, is it okay now?" Fayt asked Albel, a slight pleading tone to his voice.

Albel pursed his lips in a manner that suggested it wasn't. Cliff immediately jumped in. "Hey, I'm sorry, all right? I'll make it up to you," he insisted. Albel stared at him the way someone stares at an offending spaghetti sauce stain on a white shirt. "I promise." He suddenly smiled, placing his hands on Albel's hips. Albel remained as rigid as an iron pole in winter and just as cold. Cliff's tone dropped, low and seductive. "I've got an idea anyway." He leaned down toward his ear. He whispered to him about one of his fantasies—silken rope, gags, leather ties, a whip, a set of handcuffs… Albel tied to the bedposts, a gag in his mouth… Cliff leaned back away from him. "Will that be enough?"

Albel considered this seriously. "You'd better deliver." He glanced sidelong at Fayt, who had stood scowling the entire time as Cliff whispered to him. Fayt's eyebrows rose pleadingly. He didn't even need to say that he didn't want Albel to be angry with him. "I'm not angry with you," he told him immediately. "You never accused me of anything and didn't 'vote' that it was me."

Fayt grinned and suddenly threw himself at Albel, nearly knocking him off-balance. Fayt kissed him several times before he let go. They walked back to the resort, everyone in a better mood.

Albel totally owns Cliff and Fayt. Sure, he gets picked on every so often because it's so easy to do so, but somehow everything falls in his favour in the end.

The boys had a masseuse sent up, put a movie on, and spent the rest of the evening relaxing. The masseuse was fairly quiet, was good at her job, and impersonal enough to let the three talk casually without interrupting.

Cliff found a mini bar, but decided not to raid it until later in the week. The masseuse told Cliff that he needed to take better care of his skin. Fayt, she said, just needed to use lotion more often. Albel, however, she said nothing about other than: "You have great skin. You must take good care of it."

"Not really," he said flatly. He barely took care of himself at all, with a sort of disregard for his physical appearance at that. And how he wore his hair, what he did, and the clothes he wore was done more to please himself than for aesthetics.

"You're really lucky," she commented. Fayt and Cliff sort of scowled, and sort of smiled at the same time. They both liked and appreciated Albel's skin too. After the masseuse left, they "explored" the bedroom.

The needlessly large bed was immediately put to use. Slow, tender, embracing. Not so much about the sex and the pleasure this time as about wanting to be closer together, wanting their bodies to mold together. It was more about care and emotional attachment than the physical realm. The interesting thing is that they had never meant for there to be an emotional attachment. It wasn't supposed to have ended up that way. They were supposed to be sex partners and nothing more, but that had somehow escalated to "lover" instead.

As Fayt felt himself fall into the depths of sleep, he spoke without meaning to or, indeed, even realizing it. "I think I love you… both of you…"

Cliff and Albel looked at each other over Fayt, quietly, then each moved a little bit closer. Cliff kissed the side of Fayt's face. "Good night."

"How do you feel?" Albel asked Cliff quietly, whispering to keep Fayt from waking.

He looked into Albel's eyes for a long moment, then back at the sleeping Fayt. "Maybe," he said.

Albel frowned. "'Maybe'?"

He shrugged a shoulder slightly, careful not to disturb the Earthling. "Maybe one day. I care about you both. Maybe one day I'll love you. But I don't right now."

Albel closed his eyes, relaxing his body as he prepared to fall asleep. He tilted his head a little, getting comfortable. "All right."

"What about you?" the Klausian asked.

"Maybe," he responded. Cliff nodded thoughtfully and leaned down in the pillow. Maybe, then.

The next day, the girls went to the beach and the guys actually joined them. Nel, Mirage, and Cliff went swimming. Cliff tried unlacing Mirage's bikini top and was rewarded for his efforts with a playful smack, but a serious threat that if he kept trying that she would "tell Albel and Fayt." Knowing how they would both react, Cliff stopped his antics immediately. Sophia and Fayt went to work building a sandcastle, like when they were children. Maria leafed through a catalog from a nearby department store, trying to find a new swimsuit. Albel looked over her shoulder. She kept flipping from one page to another in indecision. She glanced at him. "What do you think? The black or the purple one?"

He pointed at one that she hadn't mentioned. "You'd look better in the white one." She looked at it closely. She considered, then nodded. "Yeah, now that you mention it…" She looked at him and motioned him to come a little closer. She flipped to the men's section and pointed, grinning. "This'd look_ great_ on you." It was more or less a string bikini for men.

"Right."

She flipped to another page, pointing to a model on the page. "Fayt."

He raised his eyebrows, looking at Fayt, then back at the picture. "If it were in blue."

"Stop talking about me," Fayt complained. Maria laughed. Fayt looked back at Sophia. "We need a better shell for this part…" Maria took out a book to read after she called the store and had her size put on hold. Albel went for a walk alone along the beach. Fayt and Sophia continued work sculpting their sandcastle and digging a moat, as all proper castles apparently have a moat, preferably one that is home to a family of either crocodiles or electric eels.

Albel came back carrying something. He held his hand out awkwardly to Fayt.

"What?" Fayt wondered.

"You and Sophia were complaining that you couldn't find the right shell for your… castle… Here," he said quietly. Fayt picked the shell up out of his hand. Somehow, Albel had found a perfectly shaped shell that was a lovely shade of pink.

"Oh, it's so pretty!" Sophia said.

Fayt laughed aloud at the idea that it was Albel who had brought it to him. Albel turned and walked away, flopping back on his towel again. Fayt put it at the top of the castle as a decoration. The swimmers came back to dry off and get something to drink from the cooler. The group headed off for lunch, and split up again after a light meal. The girls went to the spa, and the guys went back to their room for another romp in bed.

Fayt looked at each of them as they lay together. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, preparing himself. "I really think I love you both," he confessed. Cliff kissed him. Albel squeezed his side affectionately. "But I don't know how you feel."

The Elicoorian kissed his cheek softly. "Maybe. I love you… maybe," he said. He looked at Cliff, the meaning passing between them.

"Just… maybe… for now," Cliff agreed. "But I care about you both."

"I guess… it's enough. For now," Fayt decided.

They spent a week in a sort of blissful happiness, swimming in the sea, walks on the beach, exploring tide pools and the like. They walked around the surrounding town, and just in general had a pretty good time. And let's not forget all the intimate moments in their room.

Still, though, the answer to "Do you love me" was only a resounding "maybe." Nothing definite. Nothing stable. Simply "maybe."

Fayt never let the other two catch on, but it was depressing and wore on his own feelings. They didn't love him. And yet, while they insisted that they cared, and that they might in the future, they didn't love him _now_. Still, he felt like he could be patient. But every time he felt the stirring in his heart, the warm sensation of being in love, he wanted to tell them. But the sensation always went cold when he heard "maybe" or "I care about you." It was like them saying flat-out "I don't love you." It may have been better if they had just kissed him or something. If they only didn't speak it might have had a better affect on Fayt. But he really wanted to communicate his own feelings to them. It hurt, and he didn't know how to go about telling them how it hurt. It was wrong to insist they have feelings they didn't yet, and it wasn't unreasonable to be patient… but it was still unrequited love. It made for great poetry and brilliant novels, but it made for a depressing reality.

Somewhere in Fayt's mind, the word "maybe" echoed solemnly.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter Twenty**

_Maze and Tower_

Albel was angry. Fayt didn't know why he let it bother him; Albel was usually angry about something or other. But he didn't like seeing him this angry. It made all the happier moments from the past week stand out all the more starkly in contrast. It actually made it a bit more painful. Only this morning, they had all had sex, and seemed happier as they were all together, carefully not mentioning what would happen after they left the resort. Then they had to leave for _Diplo_ and everyone had to decide what they wanted to do. The fairytale world they had so carefully constructed had toppled, like a house of cards.

Fayt wanted to go home. Cliff wanted to return to _Diplo_. Where did that leave Albel? He could understand where he was angry, but it wasn't like Fayt wanted to stay away forever. He tried telling Albel that, but the other just didn't seem to believe him. He didn't even believe him when Fayt, almost in tears, holding on desperately to his lover's arms, looking up at him, pleaded with him to believe that he would come back. But he didn't believe him. Cliff had lapsed into an impenetrable silence throughout the whole thing.

"We'll be together again, right?" Fayt asked him desperately. The blonde look at him sadly, then looked away. He wasn't sure. He didn't want to give the kid false hope, and he also didn't want to crush his hopes needlessly. So, he was silent. Albel was only insistent that Fayt and Cliff would never come back and hardly spoke except to snap a comment or insult at them. He glared at anyone else, daring them to be cheery. The mood was grim.

Maria set coordinates for Elicoor to drop off Nel and Albel. It didn't take long to get there either. Fayt grabbed Albel. The Elicoorian stopped in his tracks, but didn't turn to look at him. The Earthling moved in front of him. He kissed Albel's passive lips urgently, then desperately. Fayt looked up at him, imagining that he might actually cry out in mental agony over this. Albel didn't believe he was coming back. "Please," he insisted. "I'll come back." The swordsman only looked at him. His eyes seemed sad. "Albel…" The Glyphian looked away and walked past him. Fayt started to go after him, but a restraining hand on his shoulder kept him back. Fayt looked up at Cliff. "What do I do?" he asked him.

Cliff shook his head slowly from side to side. "Just leave him be for now. Just prove him wrong. That's what he wants you to do anyway," he said with a shrug of his shoulder. He didn't like seeing Fayt look so upset. He hugged him close to him briefly, then let go of him, walking after Albel. Why did Fayt feel like things were slowly falling apart?

Albel and Nel headed for the teleporter. Mirage punched in the proper settings. Fayt suddenly stopped her. "Wait! There's something I wanted to look at. Any way you can hold on for a bit?" he asked. He glanced at Albel, some of the desperation leaking through his expression. The samurai looked at him blankly, no expression at all on his face.

Maria frowned. "What do you want to look at?"  
Fayt shrugged a shoulder helplessly. Albel raised an eyebrow. "Did you ever explore Kirlsa?" the Earthling asked.

The question took Maria a little by surprise. "Excuse me?"  
"Kirlsa. Did you ever walk around it?"  
"Well, no… Not really."

Fayt looked around the group. Everyone was staring at him now. "There was a closed off area. I want to go see what's in it. There was something… different about it."

Maria shrugged a shoulder. "Sure. Mirage, send us down closer to Kirlsa."

"Roger."

The entire group decided they might as well go. Everyone followed Fayt down there, a little skeptically. Oddly enough, the closed off area was now open. They went inside, past a "disintegrate-able" area and found something like a teleporter that definitely did not look like it belonged on Elicoor. One by one, they used it and ended up in a room that was _certainly_ a little out of time and space. A voice over an intercom system informed them that the area they were in now was another part of "the game" and was more difficult, and mentioned something about game settings.

They all looked at each other quizzically, and around the room confusedly. They decided to explore. Mirage contacted _Diplo_ and told them what they were up to, so _Diplo_ stayed in orbit and waited for them. They were growing accustomed to waiting these days.

The enemies here were much stronger than many they had encountered so far. After much wandering, slaying of creatures, and other such, they came across a rather rude girl by the name of "Puffy." She dropped a key as she ran from the room. Fayt picked it up and they continued onwards through the confusing maze. Past the room they needed the key to open, they found Puffy in terrible pain looking like she needed some kind of medicine.

Fayt considered for a moment. He had found an "experimental remedy" that Puffy said she needed back in the Maze, but she had been a real bitch and had been quite rude after they saved her from the beast attacking her… His well-mannered disposition got the better of him, so he sighed and handed it over to her anyway, even though it was quite tempting to let her suffer.

Puffy ended up being a genius of a compounding inventor, and she signed with Fayt for having helped her out. Well, that was cool. They continued on their way down through the maze.

They stopped for lunch in an area that was like a sliding puzzle with no enemies about.

"This is weird," Sophia commented. "This entire place, I mean. It's just weird."

"And confusing," Fayt added. Most everyone else nodded in agreement. "Should we head back?"

Cliff snorted. "No way. Let's keep going." Everyone else seemed to want to reach the end of the Maze of Tribulations as well. Fayt wanted to stay and keep going too. But he didn't care so much about getting to the end as spending time with Cliff and Albel while he still could. He wasn't sure how the other two felt, but they were here, and that must say something.

"We need a more effective way of dealing with the Dead Dragons," Nel commented. "The MP kills are… well, killing us."

They debated on this subject for a while and the best team they came up with for this was Sophia (given), Maria (for long-range), and Adray. Shame that they had left Adray in Aquaria, so Nel was substituted.

They struggled their way through the maze. They encountered a little girl with a giant spear that seemed to want to kill them, but never fought them herself and always summoned something instead. Odd. For an example, she summoned Duke Vox once. Albel was not impressed and snickered throughout most of the battle. Fayt, Nel, and Cliff were merely annoyed. Maria, Sophia, and Mirage didn't know who he was, so didn't understand how ridiculous this was, but shrugged and went along with it anyway. After the fight, Fayt explained about how Duke Vox had died quite some time ago. Again, odd.

Furthermore, they encountered a… creature… on the second level called "Santa." "Santa" was creepy and had a face on his stomach. Fayt was glad when they left "Santa's" presence, despite that "Santa" had some nice items for sale.

They continued ever onwards, having to backtrack occasionally, but they got some good leveling in.

They only encountered some real trouble when an angel-like creature appeared at the end of the maze when they seemed to have gotten all the way through it. Maria identified him as "Gabriel Celesta." By his reputation, they didn't know whether he was to be considered really strong or really weak and plunged headlong into the battle not really knowing what they were in for.

It ended up being the former. He had attacks that were devastating and took up nearly the entire area, leaving only a bitty corner or two where they didn't get hit with it. Sophia stayed cowering in a corner, casting and healing as needed from afar. She cast Fairie's Light practically eternally though. Out of desperation, Fayt threw a Duck-Duck Bomb at him, and it kept him stunned long enough to do some damage and in this fashion, they eventually achieved victory, though it had been hard-gained and now they had no more stun bombs of any sort and were a bit low on healing items. In addition, they were a bit surprised that they were alive and relatively healthy, if thoroughly exhausted and in need of medical treatment, rest, food, and perhaps a bath.

As Gabriel accepted his defeat, he mentioned something about a seal being broken and a long journey ahead of them. It wasn't until they started to leave that it actually dawned on Fayt.

"Sphere Company!" he cried out suddenly. Everyone turned and stared at him as if he were daft, but the Earthling realized that he was on to something so went on regardless. "At Sphere, there were about 100 floors we couldn't access. Gabriel Celesta meant _that_. _That's_ the seal that was broken, I know it!"  
Everyone looked at each other. Mirage shrugged. "Let's go take a look then." They headed to the 4D world after they restocked on items and attended to any battle wounds. They stopped in Kirlsa briefly for lunch and finally on to Sphere 211. Sure enough, Fayt was right. He grinned smugly at the others. No one paid any attention to him though. They took a deep breath and began the long journey to the top.

Sphere 211 is a gigantic tower with 211 floors. While they could skip to floor 101 and thus spare themselves about 100 floors, a hundred more floors was still a long walk. All the same… they had nothing better that they could be doing. Besides, this way, no one was splitting up and leaving. No one was going home just yet this way so long as they kept finding these dungeons. This way, they were still all together. But for how long?

There were a few different types of floor layouts that were shuffled about the building somewhat randomly. It was all quite confusing and dull actually. Of course, the enemies gave out a lot of experience and money, so that was all well and good, but it was still tedious. Occasionally, they found some good items and even some "ultimate attacks" and other such, which was all well and good but all the continual climbing of floors was still as tedious as ever. A boss fight came about every ten floors or so.

The first one was "Norton." Fayt swore he looked familiar, but couldn't quite say from where. After the fight, he still continued to puzzle over it. "I think I've seen him before, but I just don't really remember…"

Cliff flicked him in the back of the head. "That's the guy who was about to shoot you to death before I showed up and saved your ass," he reminded him.

"Oh," Fayt said, frowning in thought. He still didn't quite… Then his memory suddenly surfaced in his mind. "Oh! That guy!"  
"Yeah, 'that guy,'" Cliff said. He laughed at Fayt's expression and kissed his temple, just because he looked so damn cute. Fayt batted at him a bit, a little embarrassed for having forgotten about Norton, his first _real_ fight he had ever been in.

They continued onwards. About ten floors later, they had to defeat "Enraged Crosell." It may have been difficult because he was huge and getting stepped on probably would have crushed them flat, but everyone stuck to long-range attacks and just ran like hell any time he came close enough to step on them. There were a couple close calls, but nothing serious enough to warrant death.

Afterwards, Fayt came up to Albel and suddenly kissed him. Albel blinked in surprise. "Fayt?" he wondered.

Fayt smiled up at him. "Good memories," he said, winking playfully. Albel smiled slowly, knowing exactly what Fayt was thinking of. It was their adventure with Crosell that had brought all three of them together, after all. Going to see Crosell that got him released from prison, Cliff who had healed him and had sex with him in the _Eagle_, and then he and Fayt had been alone together in the mountains. He kissed Fayt gently before they continued ever onward. Around five floors more and everyone was feeling pretty beat. They took the elevator down and went back to the Eternal Sphere to stay at an inn or something. Arias wasn't far, so they just decided to stay there. There weren't enough rooms in the mansion, so Maria, Mirage, and Sophia stayed at the inn.

Albel snuck up behind Cliff and tackled him, pushing him onto the bed. Fayt grinned and joined in. The two pinned Cliff down as best they could. Cliff managed to lift Albel off of him, but Fayt grabbed Cliff and slipped his hand down his pants, causing Cliff to drop Albel back on top of him. Before long, instead of the wrestling, they were wrestling each other out of their clothes, kissing, touching, moving. Their clothing lay scattered on the floor, a mixture of blue and white, black, and violet and gold. Scattered amongst their clothing lay weapons and armor. If they had been in less of a hurry, they may have given these things more heed, but they were far more interested in each other.

Skin slid across skin, wet kisses trailed down necks, fingers caressed, legs spread. Albel left a trail of wet kiss down Cliff's chest, to his groin. He covered him with his mouth, inhaling deeply before he moved his lips further down his shaft. He moaned suddenly when Fayt's shaking fingers trailed along his legs, up to his erection, cupping him, fondling him. Cliff pushed his fingers deeper inside of Fayt. The Earthling cried out, twisting, arching his back to get a better angle. He could smell pre-cum and feel it drip off of him. He started to pant and could feel his hurt pounding in his chest.

Albel sat up, licking his lips. Fayt's hands fell away. Albel leaned forward over Cliff, positioning him with one hand, and moving down on him with his hips. He moaned softly. Cliff jerked his hips, pushing up into him. Albel grunted. Fayt leaned toward Cliff, kissing him hard, catching the blonde's moans in his mouth. Fayt jerked his head up, crying out loudly as Cliff ground his fingers into him. He panted for a moment, watching Albel move against the blonde. Cliff's free hand tugged on Albel's long hair gently. Albel leaned down, kissing first Cliff and then Fayt.

Fayt thought, _I'll miss him_.

Fayt wrapped his arms around Albel. _I'll miss you_. He kissed him for a long time, trying desperately not to part even when he was panting and they were both moaning. Albel broke the kiss, tilting his head back, letting out a loud groan ending in a gasp. Cliff touched Fayt's shoulder. Fayt looked back at him. _And I'll miss you too._

Fayt kissed Cliff's free hand, sucking on his fingers. He moved his head down between Albel's legs, sliding Albel into his mouth, caressing him with his tongue like a gentle but firm massage. He felt the Elicoorian's hand against his back, sliding on the sweat building there, then gliding up to his head, his fingers gently curling and uncurling in his short blue hair.

Fayt gasped and nearly gagged as a result when Cliff slipped a third finger inside him. Fayt tried to keep his breathing steady and keep his mouth moving. Cliff ran his other hand along Albel's side, feeling the little dips and curves of his body, enjoying the way his well-toned muscle felt as he flexed and moved gently on top of him, trying not to disturb Fayt.

Albel gasped suddenly, choking on air as he tried to breathe, panting hard. Fayt had become quite skilled with his tongue. His fingers tightened in Fayt's hair. He jerked his hips, sliding against Cliff and moving in Fayt's mouth. Cliff pushed into him. Fayt slid his tongue along his entire length, lapping the base. Fayt could feel him pulsing in his mouth. He prepared himself, and just in time. Albel moaned again, gasping, as he released into his lover's mouth. Fayt grimaced a little, and swallowed. He swallowed some of his spit a second time. He tilted his head up. Cliff ground against Albel a little, then lifted him off of him, setting him down beside him. Albel panted, trying to catch his breath.

Cliff sat up, leaning over Fayt. He pushed Fayt onto his back, kissing him gently. He moved his fingers out of him and entered him. He ground into Fayt, trying to relive the first time they had had sex, so long ago, in this very room, against the wall.

Fayt's fingernails bit into Cliff's shoulders. His trembling legs wrapped around the Klausian's waist. Fayt yelped a little, then sighed, pushing against Cliff. Cliff thought about all the moments like this. In this very room, in Peterny, Aquios, _Diplo_, _Aquaelie,_ even that first kiss back at the Kirlsa Caverns. He kissed Fayt, remembering Fayt's first confused reaction to it. Yes, it had all been worth it.

Cliff groaned, pushing deep inside Fayt. He moved gently inside him as he released deep in his bowels. Fayt moaned at the feeling, pushing more against him. Cliff took a long, deep breath followed by another. He moved down between Fayt's legs. Albel leaned forward, watching, ever a voyeur. Albel kissed Fayt, toying with the Earthling's nipples and chest as Cliff paid attention to the lower half of him. Cliff pulled back, not wanting to swallow semen. He let Fayt come into his hands instead. It dripped off of his fingers like a sort of sticky milk. Albel crawled over to him, taking each finger into his mouth, licking it clean, lapping at his palms in a manner very akin to a housecat licking cream off of someone's fingers.

They curled up together on the other bed to relax and catch their breath.

Cliff was sitting up. Fayt was curled between his legs, his head resting in his lap. Cliff idly played with Fayt's hair. Albel leaned against Cliff's shoulder.

"Fayt, you don't want to go through Sphere just so we can stay together longer, do you?" Cliff said, his voice teasing.

Fayt smiled softly. "Of course. I wouldn't bother otherwise. Sphere is still kind of interesting so far, but really, I just want some more time with you guys."

"The truth is out," Cliff said confidentially to Albel. Fayt pinched Cliff's leg slightly. The Klausian only laughed a little.

When they were ready, they went back to the other bed for another round before they finally retired for the night.

The next morning, everyone had breakfast and then it was off to Sphere 211 again. Nel teased them that she heard them last night. Fayt attempted to hide and failed; Cliff grabbed him and kept him from fleeing, continuing to eat with his other hand. Albel leaned his head down to hide his expression under his hair. Maria grinned. "Cli-iff, you're blushing a little," she giggled.

Fayt and Albel looked up to see Cliff, who had a small, embarrassed smile on his pinkish face. It wasn't a blush like Fayt's tomato-like flushes, but he was still embarrassed. "Aw," Fayt said, leaning down and kissed Clff's cheek. "How cute." Cliff considered for a moment, then stuffed a bread roll into Fayt's mouth before he could say anything else. Fayt scowled, chewed, and continued picking at the roll instead of making commentary. Sophia felt embarrassed _for_ them and hid her face behind a tall glass of fruit juice.

"Fayt, you are _loud_," Nel went on. The Earthling boy sunk low in his chair. Cliff's fingers dug tighter into his shirt, preventing him from making his escape. "Almost as loud as Albel," she continued. The Elicoorian went to leave. Cliff grabbed his hair with his other hand to keep him from running away, pushing him back down into his chair. The issue was that now he had to stop eating. What a predicament. He needed more arms.

Cliff stared mournfully at his half-finished meal. Fayt grinned suddenly and reached across the Klausian to poke Albel in the ribs. Albel looked up and Fayt gestured to Cliff's plate, then to the one restraining them. The Glyphian got the other's meaning and the two proceeded to attempt to feed Cliff, the way someone might feed a disliked prisoner bent on starving himself to death to escape.

"Stop trying to feed me!" Cliff complained.

"Well, you can't eat any other way," Albel said with fake, cheery bright that everyone else found to be violently disturbing. If an opinion poll had been taken, everyone would have agreed that Albel was forbidden from using that tone of voice ever again because it was the stuff of creepy nightmares.

"Well… I…"

"And you haven't finished eating. Breakfast is an important part of the day," Fayt said in his best motherly voice. Sophia covered her laugh with a hand. Mirage was trying very hard not to giggle. Maria snickered. Nel smiled. Fayt attempted to shove a spoonful of food into Cliff's mouth. When his mouth didn't open, he started rubbing the contents of the spoon along his lips obnoxiously.

"Oh, fine!" the Klausian said, letting go of both of them. "Run away!" Albel grinned and licked the food off of Cliff's mouth, which was about all he had eaten all morning. He went outside now. Fayt was quick to follow him.

After breakfast, they headed back to Sphere Company to continue on up the tower.

Onward and upward they traveled, collecting useful items, ultimate attacks, ultimate weapons, and chatting casually along the way. Everyone seemed to be feeling pretty good about the way today was going. They would make better progress with a whole day ahead of them—maybe even complete it, or at least come close.

Another ten floors up from where they had left off, they had to fight Shadow Dragon, which claimed to be stronger than Crosell, though smaller. Ordinarily, that would be frightening, he was seemed to be all talk and they defeated him without any real issues. It was a bit of a let-down really considering his boasts, but no worries. A bit disappointed, the group marched ever onwards.

The next boss battle had Albel snickering in the background, mocking the person they were fighting for the vast majority of the battle. It was "Vengeful Shelby" and Albel was not impressed in the least. Neither was anyone else. They weren't sure how he had learned to spray ice breath, but none of his attacks did a whole lot of damage and they defeated him pretty easily, but Nel got a nice weapon from him that she couldn't use because they needed to be refined back at a workshop lest they break first, like the other weapons they had received so far. What a pain.

"They'll probably be really good once they're refined," Maria commented, looking at the knives in Nel's hands. But for right now, they had about a 100% probability of breaking, like Mirage's Valorous Gauntlets from yesterday that they had refined last night.

Ten floors later, it was Frenzied Biwig. Fayt actually grinned wickedly at the beginning of this battle in a way that pleased Albel. Fayt didn't mind getting a second opportunity to kill the person who had murdered his father and injured his lover. In fact, it was very much gratifying when, once again, they annihilated the asshole.

"Hey, Albel," Cliff called, raising the weapon they had received from this battle. "This is for you."

"Yeah?" Albel sauntered over to him and snatched it. His eyes widened with a sort of awed reverence. "It's…" Yes, it was his ultimate weapon.

Fayt peered over his shoulder. "Er… It looks like a retarded dragon."

Albel stowed the claw away for now, as it also needed to be refined, and smacked Fayt upside the head for his insolence before continuing on to the next floor. Fayt rubbed his head where Albel had hit it, scowling at the back of the Elicoorian's head. Cliff passed him and planted a kiss there, teasingly. Fayt smiled up at him.

A floor or so higher, they encountered some Scumbag type of enemies. Not thinking that this would be a big deal, they entered the minor battle with over-confidence. Sophia was killed off almost immediately and everyone else had to run for their lives and revive Sophia with some Fresh Sage. They ran back a ways and pondered how to get through the next area.

The issue was that the scumbags did a half decent amount of damage per hit, and there were quite a few of them. They were also a bit fast, and were immune to stun, which proved to be quite troublesome. It wasn't such a big deal that they did damage, it was when three to five of them closed in around one of them for a gang beat. More or less, it was the scumbag's revenge, because they had been so easy at the beginning.

"Let's retreat for now," Fayt said with a sigh. Besides, everyone was a bit tired and needed a break anyway. They headed back to Gemity for lunch and tried to decide what to do.

A group of 4D beings sat at a table adjacent to them. They were scowling at a small sword that sat on the table. "I can't believe we went through that battle in the arena just for this thing."

"Yeah, I mean, what can you do with a Scumbag Slayer?" another said.

Fayt raised his head. 'Scumbag Slayer'?

"'Instantly kills scumbags,'" a third quoted. "What good is _that_?"

Fayt looked around the group to see who else had been listening. They had been. One of the games in the arena, hmm? They headed to the arena and asked the receptionist about the prizes. She signed them up for the appropriate fight and once they beat it, they were awarded the Scumbag Slayer. They took it back to a workshop and refined it.

Triumphantly, Fayt equipped it and they went back to the appropriate floor and set Fayt loose on the Scumbags, which all died instantly when faced with the mighty power of the Scumbag Slayer. Fayt felt pleased, standing triumphantly on the battlefield with his Scumbag Slayer in one hand, posed as if for a photo. Albel informed him that he looked stupid. Fayt politely ignored him and equipped his regular sword.

The next boss was significantly more difficult than the others they had faced thus far and seemed quite interested in coating his fangs and claws with blood. Nail polish might have been more affective, but getting that much of it would have been practically impossible anyway. The Green Mojara's claws could deal quite an impressive amount of damage, but it was his ice breath that was truly devastating. They had to use a lot of guard breaking techniques and everyone worked together for an MP kill. Maria's Pulse Blast was invaluable for that battle. Afterwards, everyone decided to rest and catch their breath.

Cliff swiped his palm across his forehead. "Wasn't expecting anything like that," he commented.

Mirage nodded in agreement. "They seem to be getting progressively stronger. We can expect stronger enemies in the future here, I think," she said. She glanced upwards. "On the floors to come."

Fayt groaned, leaning his head against Cliff's shoulder. "I fell down and landed badly. My muscles are all cramped…"

"We could go back to an inn or something," Sophia suggested. Being the only healer, she was the only one who never seemed to get a break.

"I agree," Nel said with a slight incline of her head. "Let's go back to Peterny and rest."

"'Peterny'?" Cliff wondered.

The redhead nodded. "Yeah. We could all use a bath." They really were covered in sweat. Fayt insisted they head up a floor or two higher first. After three more floors were cleared, they traveled back to Peterny.

The girls went to the female only bath and the boys headed to their bath. The water felt fantastic, and getting the sweat out of their hair was reviving actually. After the bath, they had a light dinner taken in their room. Fayt massaged his neck. He felt so stiff, even after the bath.

Cliff volunteered to massage his back and neck. Fayt shrugged and agreed. Cliff was surprisingly good at it, and once he had massaged all the stiffness and the tension out of his shoulders, Fayt was soon dozing lightly. Cliff pulled the blanket over him. Fayt snuggled deeper into the covers, quickly falling into a deeper sleep. He felt content and happy here, with them.

While Cliff did that, Albel did some routine maintenance on his gauntlet idly. Cliff noticed that his left shoulder seemed to bother him. "You need a massage too?" he asked.

Albel considered, rotating his shoulder as he thought about it. It felt horribly stiff and ached a little from the constant strain his armor gave him. He nodded. "Sure." He set the gauntlet down on the table and laid down next to Fayt. Cliff went to work massaging his aching muscles. Twenty minutes into it, Albel started falling asleep. Cliff tested the shoulder. All the tension was gone and he seemed to be all right.

Cliff picked Albel up and scooted into bed, laying the Elicoor down on top of him. Fayt automatically rolled over to him, snuggled gently against his side. Albel laid his head down on Cliff's chest, watching Fayt in his sleep as he slowly nodded off. Cliff watched the two until sleep claimed him, enjoying the feel of Albel's steady heart against his own, listening to Fayt's steady breathing and the released carbon dioxide from Fayt's lungs brush against his side, and relishing the warmth of their bodies.

Waking was pleasant, and made a little more special because not a one of them had moved from the comfortable place they had fallen asleep in, and the first thing each of them saw upon waking was the others.


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter Twenty-One**

_Farewell_

In the morning after a light breakfast of fruits and breads, Fayt and Company once more headed out to Sphere 211. Gabriel had said that it would be a difficult and time-consuming trial. He hadn't been kidding, that was for sure.

Interestingly enough, the next boss battle disrupted the flow of every ten floors, there is a boss battle. This one was only a floor higher so it shouldn't have made much difference, but it was a bit disorienting. Human beings are creatures of habit and to have that habit thrown is, well, disorienting.

The creature that challenged them was a demon, an Arch Demon to be precise. Fayt was puzzled as to why all these creatures so desperately wanted to kill him though. For many of them, it was a bit like being revived and having a second shot at revenge, but what about all the creatures that they had never met or heard of before? Something else bothered him too—what had happened to that cute little girl with the giant spear from the Maze of Tribulations? Moreover, why did she seem to want to kill them as well? What had they ever done to her anyway?

The Arch Demon was a difficult fight. He could summon a creature that could MP kill anything close to it, which was devastating for anyone who had to be close range to fight and keeping their tank alive was trying. Nevertheless, using long range attacks and lots of healing, they prevailed, as what seemed to be the case for pretty much everything they had encountered so far. It might have made one feel invincible and awesomely cool, but it didn't. Instead, it was just annoying that everything they encountered seemed to want to kill them.

Another eleven floors, they came across another two familiar faces wanting revenge. Belzeber and Azazer. It sort of struck them as odd that Azazer seemed to have not gotten any stronger and only lasted about three seconds into the battle without exaggeration. Belzeber, however, had, but it was no real trouble as his attacks didn't actually do a whole lot of damage per hit and he was short-range only. There was one close call when he got too close to Sophia and she tripped trying to get out of the way, but nothing too serious.

Afterwards, the item won, Valorous Gauntlets, were unofficially given to Cliff, though they still needed to be refined and such.

Fayt frowned in thought as he looked around. "You know, we keep re-fighting people that we've met and killed or beaten before…" he said quietly.

"Do you have a point?" Albel demanded.

That _was_ his point. Fayt looked up at Albel, feeling exasperated. He liked Albel, but the man could just as quickly give him a headache as ease his trouble. They had beaten him before too, and Crosell was here even though he wasn't dead. Would Albel appear here too? Some enraged version of him bent on destroying them all? It frightened Fayt, to tell the truth. Instead of saying so, Fayt looked away. "You ever think about that? All the people we've killed who are angry?"

"No."

Fayt sighed, rolling his eyes a little. Of course not. He wasn't like that. He wouldn't ponder all the possibilities the way that Fayt did, and that was fine too; if he was like that, he wouldn't quite be himself. Sophia touched Fayt's arm. "I understand, Fayt," she assured him. Of course she understood though; she had only known him her entire life.

He smiled a little at her. "Thanks."

"It's kind of scary, isn't it?" she said. "That they haven't really died. We really are… programs." She looked away.

Fayt hugged her briefly. "Don't say that. We're real, remember? We believe we are… so we are," he insisted. Who was he trying to convince? They were programs. They might be intelligent programs, but still programs nonetheless, albeit programs with hearts and minds of their own.

On and ever upwards they walked, another eleven floors to the next major battle. This place was longer than any natural place they had walked through. Interesting that a building should seem so much longer than a country or two.

Furious Berial was a frustrating fight when the time came, as it had been so long ago on their first journey through Sphere. Nothing they couldn't handle, but frustrating all the same. Really, though, why did everything want them dead so desperately?

Fayt was honestly glad that they hadn't run into a version Albel here. Well, Albel wasn't dead. But then again, neither was Crosell and he had been here too. He hoped that they wouldn't. His mind just seemed to swim 'round and 'round the subject.

A couple floors higher, they cleared an area of enemies and stopped for lunch. After finishing, they continued up again through the identical corridors and battling minor enemies. On Floor 200, they encountered "Super Blair." How repulsive, and done entirely in bad taste.

She was stronger than the fake Blair they had fought while battling their way to Luther. Soon, they discovered that they had to attack at every opportunity and healing constantly was really only a good way to die. Being outnumbered didn't phase her in the least and it only meant she had more people to kill. Needless to say, pretty strong for a sub-boss. Their healing items and stun bombs were pretty taxed at the end of the battle, so they headed back down to Gemity to restock. They had dinner and decided to just go to an inn rather than travel up a couple more floors.

"We're almost to the top of the tower," Fayt said, falling down on the bed, letting his head hit the pillow. "I wonder what's up there?"

"We'll find out tomorrow morning. Rest up," Cliff advised. "If Blair was only a sub-boss, no telling what's at the top of Sphere 211."

Fayt nodded. "Right." He sat up. "Hey…" He looked from Albel to Cliff. Cliff was undressing and Albel was pulling his hair out of the wraps. "We should have sex."

Albel considered this, quite tempted by the offer. He glanced at a bruise on his arm from the past battle though, and considered for a moment how arduous it had been. He shook his head instead. "No. If Blair was that hard, the next battle will be more difficult. We should rest."

Fayt sighed and fell back into bed. The three still slept together though. Breakfast was more of a hardy meal this time, and they made sure to refine all their new weapons they had received so everyone had the best things they could have before they left for Sphere yet again.

It was a bit daunting that they were so close to the top. So close to discovering whatever mystery lay at the top of the tower. Fayt also realized, so close to not having anything left to do to keep everyone here together. He felt a bit saddened at that, but still excited to see whatever was at the top.

Only a few floors more, and they found what awaited them. It was none other than Lenneth. This was one battle that made even Gabriel Celestia look easy, and that was really saying something, because he had been a pretty difficult fight too. It was a good thing that Fayt, on an impulse, had bought every kind of stun bomb that the shops had, because they were invaluable when they needed her to stop attacking so they didn't all die horribly. Sophia barely had time to cast healing so a lot of the items were used as well.

After the battle, everyone really just wanted to go take a bath, have a snack of some sort, and go to sleep. They were exhausted and, quite simply put, done for the day. They realized that they were really close, only a floor away as a matter of fact, but no one wanted to boldly rush to the top at this point. This hadn't even been the last floor and there was no guarantee that something more deadly still awaited them. It would be in their best interest to go relax and replenish supplies, particularly when Fayt thumbed through their inventory and found it a bit lacking.

Fayt once again bought up all the bombs he could find as well as replenishing their usual item supply. They headed back to the inn in Peterny for baths and a nap.

Cliff woke with a hard-on, likely having to do with the fact that Fayt and Albel were both on either side of him, mostly naked, with their limbs draped over him. He sighed deeply and tried to ignore it, fixing his eyes adamantly at the ceiling. It wasn't going away and not even the uninteresting decorative molding was making it limp again. Albel muttered something in his sleep and shifted a little. His bare thigh slipped between Cliff's legs. The young man suddenly tensed in his sleep, the skin on his thigh sliding succulently against the Klausian's groin as he did. Cliff nearly groaned aloud. He _had_ to either wake Albel and Fayt up or get out of bed.

Fayt let out a low sigh, snuggling closer to Cliff. The breath of air trailed across Cliff's bare nipple. He was going absolutely insane. Fayt's hand brushed Albel's thigh. The swordsman awoke with a start, kneeing Cliff in the testicles. Well, that was one way to cure an erection. Cliff flinched, gritting his teeth.

Albel frowned at him, the fog of sleep making his thinking murky. Suddenly, it dawned on him why Cliff seemed to be in pain. Immediately, he moved his leg, feeling a little sheepish. Fayt's arm fell off of the swordsman as he sat up. The movement woke Fayt.

"Hmm?" Fayt wondered.

Albel looked at Cliff, a sort of weird expression on his face. It took Fayt a moment to place the expression because he had never seen it on Albel before. It was an "Oh-god-I'm-so-sorry" kind of look. Cliff took a long, deep, hard-gained breath followed by another. He finally relaxed. "Sleep well?" he asked Albel.

"I… I didn't mean to…"

Cliff smiled. "Well, in that case, you mind making up for nutting me?"

Albel leaned down seductively over Cliff. "What can I do for ya?"

The Klausian eyed the Elicoorian for a moment, then moved his eyes down to his crotch, then back at Albel. The other caught his meaning. Albel kneeled down between Cliff's legs. Cliff let out a breathy sigh at what Albel was doing. Yep, that just about made up for it.

Fayt watched them both idly for a moment or two. He leaned up and kissed Cliff tenderly, enjoying waking with both of them. His lips moved against the other's, his tongue brushed against his lips. Fayt heard Albel groan. He opened his eyes, turning to look. Albel was fucking himself on Cliff, one hand on himself and the other steadying himself on Cliff's smooth stomach. Watching him was making Fayt's breathing uneasy. Fayt's hand trailed down to his crotch. He slipped out of his shorts, kicking them to the floor. Cliff lifted Fayt, pulling the boy into his mouth. He pushed two dampened fingers into the boy, keeping him up off of his face with the two fingers. Fayt groaned hopelessly. Albel captured his lips. The moan escaped into Albel's mouth.

Albel arched his back, groaning, his lips falling away from Fayt's. Fayt kissed Albel's bare neck. Wet kisses trailed down to his shoulders, graced his chest. He lapped at his nipples and eventually trailed his tongue down to Albel's cock. He covered him completely, copying the movements Cliff made against his own throbbing erection.

Fayt liked the way Albel felt in his mouth, liked the way Cliff's chest felt against his own. They were almost finished with Sphere. What would happen after that?

Cliff's fingers brushed a place deep inside Fayt, once, twice, a third time and with more force. Fayt squirmed, gasping. He moaned deeply around Albel's cock. Albel cried out at a movement he made with his hips that caused Cliff to hit him just perfectly.

Fayt moaned one last time and came, hard, into Cliff's mouth. Warm semen flooded down Cliff's throat, flowing into his mouth. Cliff gagged a little and swallowed rather than spit this time. Fayt squirmed away from Cliff. He sat still for a moment, panting and trying to catch his breath. He kneeled back in Albel's lap, continuing where he had left off. Cliff arched into Albel, feeling his legs and his hips with his hands. He jerked twice more and under all the stimuli from the lovely image of Fayt pleasuring Albel, released with a long moan.

He stopped, panting. Albel looked briefly disappointed. Cliff, still panting, sat up. He pushed Albel down onto his back, replaced his dick with his fingers, feeling the sticky semen slide out of him. Fayt continued. Fayt felt Albel's end coming. He pulled his mouth away and used his hands.

Albel actually really liked the attention, secretly. How much longer did he really have to enjoy it anyway?

Cliff twisted his whole arm, digging deep into him. Albel gasped. He came, white liquid gushing over Fayt's fingers.

They all stopped, panting and trying to get their breath back. After they had recovered, they washed up a little at the washbasin and dressed, once more ready for Sphere.

After everyone felt a bit more confident, they journeyed back to the Sphere Company and went all the way to the top. The Ethereal Queen was waiting for them. After Lenneth, she didn't seem so difficult. She was by no means easy, just not as difficult at as Lenneth was. So in reality, it was a bit of a relief that she wasn't, though it was a little infuriating because they had gone all the way to Peterny to prepare for this fight, and spent so much time making sure that everyone was in tip-top shape for it.

Regardless, they finished the fight and that seemed like it was it. Nothing left. The Ethereal Queen dropped a gem, though, and the gem's description mentioned something about danger and taking it to the place where there was a prideful dragon. No one was too sure they wanted any more danger. It was Fayt, though, who insisted on one last thing; to look at the caves in Crosell's lair. They went back to Peterny and stayed the night before they took that journey for a second time.

Kissing, moaning, gasping, the threesome helped each other shed their clothes onto the floor. They were trying to get in as much "time" together as possible. Not a one of them wanted to say it aloud, but the end was coming, and soon, and they all knew it. It was all too vivid in their minds that this could very well be their last time together, at least for a long time to come.

Albel pushed Fayt down onto his back, moving on top of him to take him. He kissed Fayt's chest, nuzzling against his neck and nibbling on his ear. He moved to kiss him, readying himself to take him as he did. Cliff's fingers ran down Albel's back, caressing his backside, and letting his fingernails graze his thighs, taking time to appreciate the splendid view. He kissed the base of the Elicoorian's spine, trailing his hand slowly, ever so slowly, back up his legs.

Fayt suddenly put a hand out, stopping him, turning his head to the side to avoid Albel's kiss. "No," he said.

The Elicoorian froze. "What? Why?"

Fayt crossed his arms indignantly. "I'm _always_ uke. I want to be seme once!" he complained. Cliff let out a low whistle, stepping away. He sat down heavily on the other bed, realizing that this argument might take a while.

Albel sat up, just as stubborn as Fayt had decided he wanted to be. To hell he would be Fayt's uke. Cliff's, certainly--he had won the dominance battle and that was fine thus, and besides, he liked the way Cliff was built; it suited him. Fayt wouldn't, couldn't, win that though--Albel wouldn't allow it. "No."

The Earthling looked to Cliff for help. Cliff got the idea that this would be an awkward night, thank you very much, Fayt. Cliff leaned back against the headboard, getting comfortable, willing his erection to die throughout the argument he knew would ensue. "Cliff, c'mon," Fayt whined. "I want to be on top—just once."

"Don't look at me," he said. He pointed at the Glyphian. "Ask Albel."

Albel glared at him venomously. "It could just as easily be you as me."

Cliff snorted a laugh. "I don't think so." He smiled winningly at Albel. "Besides, you're a good uke."

The Elicoorian suddenly grinned. Cliff immediately didn't like it, not one bit. He had a feeling that suddenly the tables had turned into Albel's favour. He wondered how and at the same time, really didn't want to know. Albel, still grinning, looked to Fayt. "Okay, Fayt. I'll be your uke. Just once." Fayt looked anxious and eager at the same time. "But…" Albel glanced at Cliff, his eyes sparkling like someone playing a particularly mean practical joke. "…you have to convince Cliff to be mine." He looked back at Fayt, raising an index finger to emphasize his point. "Just once." He smiled pleasantly at Cliff, who glowered back at him.

Fayt gave Cliff a sad puppy face. Cliff was stalwart and unaffected by it and it helped that he wasn't looking. "Please, Cliff? I want to be on top."

The blonde scowled at Albel. Damn bastard had pinned all this on him. If he said no, Albel was now exempt from all blame. Cliff had to admit, it was brilliant. In just making that deal, Albel had excused himself from all blame and pinned everything on Cliff. Cliff felt his stubborn pride rising indignantly at the idea of being Albel's uke all the same though. "No."

"C'mon, please, Cliff?"

The blonde stared at the blue-haired youth, who had such a sad, pleading expression that it might have moved more sympathetic individuals to tears. Both Albel and Cliff were completely immune to it, however. "No," he insisted. Albel looked at Cliff, giving him his best pouty look. It wasn't an expression he got to use very often, and he had discovered that it made Cliff completely and utterly helpless in the same way that Fayt's innocent expressions also made Cliff helpless. He couldn't stand to look at both of them when they did that to him. He flinched and looked away.

"Cliff… You're going to crush all of Fayt's dreams," Albel chimed. His tone of voice was a little too cheery.

The Klausian considered smashing the lamp on top of Albel's head briefly. He felt like they were pressuring him to do drugs or something, honestly, the way they kept on. "He'll live. Having his dreams crushed will be good for him."

Albel couldn't help but snicker. Fayt pursed his lips in a scowl. "That's rude." A brief pause. "But, c'mon, Cliff. Albel even agreed. A role-reversal would be great, so c'mon."

"I pass."

Fayt squirmed out from under Albel and started getting dressed. "Fine. I'm gonna go sleep somewhere else."

Cliff sighed. "Oh, fine, whatever!"

Fayt grinned and kissed Cliff appreciatively, then looked at Albel. Albel sighed. "Me first, huh?" he muttered to himself. Cliff grinned, resting his chin on his palm, elbow on his knee as he observed. Fayt suddenly felt nervous. Albel helped get them both ready and had to direct Fayt, occasionally glaring in an accusatory manner at Cliff. He guided Fayt over him, positioning him with his hand. Albel glared at Cliff one last time before he let Fayt enter him. Fayt gasped, eyes widening at the way it felt. He tried to think of what Albel and Cliff usually did and tried to do those things. He felt a little, no—a lot—awkward and uncomfortable doing it though, like they were both scrutinizing him.

Albel moaned a little, but he really liked Cliff better there. He reached down between his legs, pleasuring himself; this was Fayt's first time and he wasn't a genius in bed. He still asked for direction from time to time, face red both from exertion and embarrassment at needing the direction. Albel tried to make it as easy as he could for the kid, and tried not to be rude about it, lest he mortally embarrass Fayt or something.

Fayt tried not to completely ignore Albel, but he was experiencing a plethora of new sensations, and enjoyed it. Eventually, he got a little more confident and stopped thinking about how Cliff was being voyeuristic in a sadistic kind of way, and how Albel kept instructing him and focused on the way it felt. He tried just to do whatever felt good for him. This being his first time, he had little stamina and quickly gave out, accidentally releasing in Albel. "Sorry…" Fayt muttered. "It… felt really… good…"

Albel kissed him softly, sitting up and pulling away. He gently laid Fayt down, then turned to Cliff, grinning wickedly. All the reasons that Albel had earned the title "Albel the Wicked" was reflected in the expression. Cliff flinched. "I changed my mind," he said suddenly. Albel flew at him, pinning him to the bed, heedless of Cliff's wishes. The two wrestled, Albel attempting to more or less rape Cliff and Cliff trying to get away without hurting Albel by accident.

Fayt giggled softly, watching them. Albel tickled Cliff's ribs, apparently having learned something from Fayt. Cliff flailed just right and the Elicoorian saw his opportunity. He took it, and Cliff, immediately without wasting any time. Albel the Wicked smirked at Cliff.

"Oh, c'mon, seriously?" Cliff demanded.

"It won't be long," Albel said, obviously pleased with himself. Cliff flinched at the pain, finally appreciating how it felt for the other two. He decided to just take this as a learning experience to perfect his seme skills and let Albel do as he wished, which he did. Albel was completely and totally relentless and ruthless. He dragged it out for as long as he possibly could, working Cliff into erection with his hands since Cliff apparently wasn't stimulated rectally. Cliff noticed that Albel must be somewhere near release.

"Don't come in me," he snapped. Albel scowled, about to say something, then gasped. He jerked his hips into him again. Ignoring Cliff completely, he sagged, panting as he released into his lover. Cliff flinched, not liking it at all. Albel sagged over Cliff, a pleased expression on his face. Cliff lifted Albel off of him, laying Albel down on his stomach. Albel looked up at Cliff wearily. Revenge. Cliff tilted Albel just enough, lifting his hips with his hand. He forced his way inside him. Albel grunted, clearly frustrated. Cliff worked at making it quick. Three minutes later, he found his own release. Cliff's semen mingled with Fayt's inside Albel.

The issue was that now both beds were dirty. They found some extra blankets and changed the blankets on one of the beds, then snuggled up together to sleep with the silent agreement to never do anything like that ever again, and in fact, not to speak of it at all. Albel and Cliff felt that way anyway. Fayt didn't feel similarly, but the other two didn't care.

They left in the morning and went all the way back to Crosell's lair. Sure enough, there was a new cave there, and why not explore it?

In the cave, there were coloured glowing orbs of earth, air, water, and fire that opened and closed pathways as well as made certain enemies stronger or weaker. Interesting. With the right colour combination for their orb-like "keys," they managed to make their way through.

However, it wasn't long before they came across Peppita. But it wasn't quite Peppita. That is to say, it was Peppita, but not. Sort of like Pseudo Blair had been before. Moreover, she, as usual, assumed that Fayt was up to no good. It was strange though; she didn't know them. And what was she doing here? But there was no time to think about it; she attacked them and she wasn't exactly a pushover.

When Peppita was defeated, they moved on, more confused than ever. After another colour puzzle, they entered another area, this one with Roger in it. Similar to before, Roger also didn't know who they were. However, instead of thinking they were bad guys, he assumed that they were some sort of contestant and immediately attacked them. Quite odd behaviour indeed. It puzzled the others and despite a long discussion as they traversed the next area, they couldn't quite figure out what exactly was going on.

Another colour puzzle after that, they were faced with quite a disturbing apparition indeed. For, who should appear before them but two of their own?

Fayt could only stare in mute horror. He had been terrified of it being Albel, the same fear he had harboured since back at Sphere. But this was different. It was he and Sophia. And they challenged them to a fight.

Albel and Cliff looked at each other. What could they do? This was Fayt, but not Fayt. Fayt clashed swords with himself. He didn't know what to do. This was so… very strange. However, there was little time to think about it or to decide if it was really right to fight and kill the "other" Fayt and the "other" Sophia; the "others" were attacking them, and they were plenty strong. Sophia's Gremlins was all but sudden death, and Fayt dealt a lot of damage just by himself.

The battle was hard-won, physically and mentally. It was a good thing that their Sophia and Fayt had been wearing different outfits than the "other" or else they might have had problems, so at least there was that.

"Have you been holding out on us?" Mirage said sarcastically to Fayt and Sophia. The two blushed, looking away. They looked at each other briefly. What was this?

It seemed to be the end of the cave, so they walked back, feeling more confused than ever before, and a little defeated even. Fayt looked at the gem. Well, nothing seemed to be here. It had been dangerous, but it was more confusing than dangerous.

Crosell was gone inside his lair. Curiosity overtaking him, Fayt set the gem down where Crosell usually slept. The little girl from the Maze, Freya, suddenly appeared and challenged them.

Again, Fayt's collection of stun bombs was invaluable, and they used _a lot_ of items. For such a little girl, Freya was unbelievably strong. Sophia, however, got a pretty nice weapon afterwards. Not that it did any real good anymore, because now, there really was nothing left and now _was_ the time to leave and go home, finally.

They had to decide on what they wanted to do now that there was really no reason to stay together. They each, after all, had very different lives to lead.

"I'm looking for my mother," Fayt decided, looking away from the other two. They didn't love him. They didn't love each other. It was only "maybe." A sexual relationship, even if they still cared about each other like lovers should, wasn't really worth throwing away the rest of his life for. And even though it had potential, he just had to try to find his mother. And he wanted to go home for a while. The idea of sleeping in his own bed, watching television, eating a hamburger, all of it sounded fantastic. He wanted to go home. For the first time in so long, he realized he was homesick.

Cliff just wanted to go back to _Diplo_, live some of his life normally, even for just a while. He could think of no other, better thing to do. Yes, he wanted to stay with the other two, but where would they go? What would they do, really? The Klausian nodded his consent to Fayt's wishes.

Albel sighed. Then it was back to Elicoor for him if that was what the other two wanted to do. It was back to his former life, even though there wouldn't be much to do any more with the war ended and the countries at peace. Still… it wasn't like Airyglyph's problem of not having enough food was gone. He wondered how long they would really be at peace with Aquaria, then looked at Cliff and Fayt and suddenly didn't care.

"Then it's over?" he asked, even though he already knew the answer.

The other two looked away. They all had different homes on different planets. "I'll come to visit you," Fayt insisted. "Visiting" didn't mean "staying." It meant seeing someone briefly and then leaving for a long period of time. It wasn't good enough. It meant they wouldn't be together.

"We'll stay in touch," Cliff added quickly. "Staying in touch" didn't mean "staying together." It only meant they would be in contact, and nothing more. Albel looked away without saying anything.

Long-distance relationships never last.

_More to come._


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter Twenty-Two**

_Reunion_

Cliff walked up to the small cottage. It hadn't changed since last year, except for the weeds; they were higher. The phrase "grows like a weed" came to mind. It had been an entire year since the three of them had been together, and after they defeated Luther two years ago, it was agreed to take a yearly or, if possible, biyearly trip to Elicoor II. That was what the cottage was for.

The Klausian was slowly making the cottage modern, but he didn't have much time to do it in. So far, it had some basic electricity, but that was it. He didn't know too much about plumbing, but he could always pay some people to make a side trip here. The Planet Preservation Act was more or less something to be ignored on Elicoor now, after all that had happened.

Over his shoulder, he hauled his bag. He fished around in a pocket for the key and unlocked the door. He threw the bag down inside, a bit disappointed that neither Fayt nor Albel had shown up yet. Well, that was fine. He grinned to himself. He had a rather special surprise for the two this time.

Cliff went back out to his ship and got the other bags. On the third trip, he brought in the boxes. He set the boxes up on the table and went back to the ship for food after he switched on the electricity. So far, only the security system was on. He had installed a mini-fridge and freezer last time. He had brought some alcohol and some other food. None of them had any skills in cooking, so it was all microwave, pre-cooked, or simple oven-ready meals. It took a good hour to put all the foodstuffs away and it was just getting dark.

He heard the door open and shut. He peered around the corner and grinned. Albel was kicking off his shoes in the corner. He tossed a pack on the floor with all the other bags that Cliff hadn't gotten to yet.

"Hey, Albel!" Cliff called. "You hungry?"

"No." Big surprise there. Poor guy was so used to starving he just considered it "normal." Sad thing was, the way life was in Airyglyph, it was probably true. Conditions had _not_ improved after the war. If anything, it had only gotten worse. But they didn't get together to discuss those types of things. Albel wandered in to the kitchen. "Is Fayt not here yet?"

Cliff waved his communicator in one hand. "He sent me a message a while ago. Says that he won't be here for another couple days. But he'll stay later to make up for it." Cliff smiled slyly. "So you and he get some alone time."

"All right." The Elicoorian leaned against the counter. "So what's his excuse?"

"Oh, Sophia. She sprung a surprise trip on him. So he's still with her."

Albel wrinkled his nose in disgust.

Cliff laughed. "But he'll be over in a couple days, like I said." He put the last bottle in the refrigerator and straightened. "I have something for you," he said suggestively.

Albel raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

The blonde walked to the living room. The other trailed behind him suspiciously. "You don't have to wear it when Fayt shows up, but I would _love_ to see you in it."

Albel's eyes narrowed. "Is that so."

Cliff grinned, turned around, and kissed him. Albel's lips moved about as much as a marble statue. "Don't be angry." He winked. "I've been fantasizing about you in this for a long time."

Cliff picked up one of the long boxes made for clothing and presented it to the other. He eyed it skeptically without opening or even touching it, as if it might bite. Cliff rolled his eyes and flicked the lid off onto the floor.

Albel stared at the contents of the box, his facial expressions bordering on horror and disgust. He finally looked at Cliff. "What do I get if I wear this for you?" Because if there was nothing in it for him, he'd just as soon feed it to the fire. As a matter of fact, it might end up in the fire anyway.

That was when Cliff grinned. He set the box down and walked over to the bags. He unzipped it and started pulling out items from it. Albel's eyes widened—this time with excitement. Cliff raised an eyebrow. "So, you see, it might be a good thing that Fayt won't be here for a while." He picked up the small flog with the sculpted glass handle. Teasingly, he trailed the leather strips along Albel's thigh. "So… how about it?"

The Elicoorian gazed back at the contents of the box, then back at the items laid out on the table. "I'll only do this once," Albel said, picking up the box. He turned on his heel and marched up the stairs to the bedroom to change.

"Take your time," Cliff called. He needed Albel to take his time. As a second thought, he shut the door at the bottom of the stairs and blockaded it. He hurried to move all the bags out of the way and used the table to lay out all the toys he had stockpiled over the last year. He organized them according to how he planned to use them, and even organized the kitchen as he saw fit.

He picked up a small box and started pulling the items inside out and arranging them as needed. After that was done, he smiled in satisfaction, then slipped out of his clothes and in to another surprise for Albel. It was only fair, after all…

The doorknob twisted. "Cliff, what are you doing?" Albel demanded from the other side upon finding it locked.

The Klausian lit the last candle. "Hold on." He flicked the electric light off and yanked the chair away, and then unlocked the door. He opened the door. He looked at Albel. The other peered up at him. His face was red and embarrassed. Cliff pulled Albel out of the dark, into the flickering candlelight. The Elicoorian looked away, completely embarrassed.

"You look…"

"Stupid," he finished.

Cliff kissed his temple affectionately. "I was going to say 'fantastic,'" he said. He stepped away to get a good look at him. Albel still hadn't really looked at Cliff; he was too embarrassed to do anything but stare at the floor. The gauntlet was gone, and he had long black satin opera gloves on. White lace gloves may have looked better, but Albel wouldn't have put them on if they didn't cover up the horrible scars on his arm. White thigh-high stockings, a garter belt, and even matching shoes. The outfit itself was a traditional French maid outfit made out of fine satin. And he just looked gorgeous in it, especially the way the candlelight danced across his skin and cast shadows seductively, the way no electric light could ever hope to mimic. Cliff licked his lips anxiously. He couldn't wait…

He walked back over to the Elicoorian, sliding his palm up the dress. "I will never do this again," Albel hissed. Cliff laughed. Finally, he actually looked at the blonde. What a pleasant surprise. He grinned, slipping his fingers between one of the tight leather straps on the body harness, his fingers wedged between the leather and Cliff's torso. "I like this."

"Mm," Cliff purred agreeably, rubbing his fingers against Albel's thighs. His legs shifted apart and he moved against him suggestively. He shook his head. "Not yet." He pulled his hand away before he got carried away. He gripped Albel's waist in both hands and lifted him off of his feet. He kissed him hard. When they parted, they were both out of breath. Cliff carried Albel over to the couch and set him down on it. He kneeled in front of him and kissed both of his gloved hands. The kisses trailed up his arms, then jumped to his neck, back up to his lips again. Albel looked longingly at the items on the table, then hungrily at Cliff's body, not quite certain as to which he wanted more or indeed even first.

Cliff's fingers traced all the muscles in Albel's legs, beginning at his ankles, slowly working his way up his calves, to his thighs. He moved his hand up to his groin. Cliff smiled. He had even put on the white cotton panties. He couldn't wait to get them off of him. He leaned up and whispered in his ear. "I have a couple other outfits for you too," he cooed, pushing Albel down on to the couch. "And I'll only use the toys when you put one of them on."

Albel pouted. That hardly seemed fair to him. The thought was lost though, when Cliff slid something leather along Albel's thigh. It was a leather crop. Albel's eyes widened a little in excitement. Cliff pushed the other's legs a little farther apart, moving the skirt of the dress up higher. He moved his wrist to get a good swing and hit Albel's inner thigh with the crop. Albel moaned. He hit the other thigh. The Elicoorian began to pant. He rubbed the crop along his thighs, waiting for the muscle to go slack again. When they did, he hit his leg again. He continued this for a time. He set the crop down and moved down to Albel's feet, caressing his legs all the way down. Gingerly, he pulled off his shoes, kneeling in front of him. He kissed the top of his foot.

Cliff set the shoes aside and moved back up to Albel's waist. He pushed his hands under his skirt, caressing his thighs, his ass, and tugging teasingly at the panties. He noticed a damp spot. That eager, huh? Good. Finally, he pried them off, pulling them down slowly all the way off. He set them down with the shoes. Cliff picked up something else from the table. He kissed Albel's trembling lips before he slid the blindfold on him. He tied it behind his head securely. Albel heard Cliff moving around, but couldn't see him. He felt Cliff gently push his legs to the side. His hand slid up between his thighs. Albel lifted his hips. Something cold and wet dribbled off of Cliff's fingers. Water? A melting ice cube slid over his groin, along his throbbing appendage, and as it was nearly gone, Cliff pushed it inside him. The other gasped.

"Cliff… take me…" he whispered.

"Not yet," he said softly. "I haven't teased you enough yet." He kissed the Elicoorian's lips gently. He moved back to the table and picked up another toy. "Open your mouth. Yes, like that." He pushed the gag into his mouth, securing it to his head. Gently, very gently, he pulled Albel up a little. He unzipped the back of the dress to his waist. He pushed it off his shoulders, but didn't completely undress him. He picked up a candle, dribbling the white wax onto Albel's smooth skin. Albel gasped and moaned behind the gag.

By the time he was finished with the hot wax, Albel was panting heavily. Cliff pulled Albel's arms out of the sleeves and gently pulled his wrists behind his back. He picked up a pair of handcuffs and snapped them on his wrists. They were padded with leather; he didn't want Albel getting his wrists scratched up from the hard metal. He picked up his uke, moving him to the kitchen table, where he had more toys laid out. He bent him over the table and picked up a small flogger. He ran the strips of leather along Albel's wax-covered back. The dress slipped a little further down his waist. Cliff hit him across the shoulders. Albel gasped, back arching. He hit him again. He continued until Albel's legs were quivering. He set the toy down and picked Albel up, setting him down on the table. He kissed his cheek, noticing the sweat dribbling down his forehead. He pulled off the blindfold. Albel stared at him, the desire evident in his eyes. It seemed punctuated by the gag that he couldn't remove.

Cliff ran his hands along Albe's flat stomach, over his muscled chest. He picked up a common household object—a clothespin. Albel attempted to frown in thought, but couldn't because of the gag. Cliff pinched it around Albel's nipple. Albel twisted a little, and moaned when he did it to the other one. He pushed his bound and gagged lover on to the table on his back. Finally, he removed the rest of the dress and the apron. Albel's chest heaved in desire.

"This one took a lot of practice," he commented, picking up a small can. With a long Q-tip, he spread cool white gas on his stomach, then set it on fire. Albel moaned. Cliff blew it out before it actually burned him. He spread a small design over him and lit it, blowing it out again quickly. "Do you like it?"

Albel nodded vaguely. The fire play spun off a primal fear and attraction for fire, coupled with instant heat and instant cold, twisted with vague pain and relief. Cliff moved his hands slowly back up to Albel's taught nipples. Slowly, he released them from the tight grip of the clothespins. Albel gasped. Pre-cum dribbled from his erection. Cliff spread more of the white gas in a thin line on Albel's chest, from his collarbone, down to his bellybutton. Fire, then it was gone. Intense heat, and then cold. Cliff put the can and the lighter away. (Author's Note: I take no responsibility if someone reads this and decides to set themselves on fire. "Fire play" actually is possible, by the way [and feels great] but should only be done by someone *very* experienced or you/another person can get hurt really badly.)

Cliff sucked on one of Albel's nipples, flicking it with his tongue as he pulled away. He didn't think he could stand it any more. He had to have him. He lifted Albel again, setting his feet back down on the floor. He turned him around, bending him back over the table. He unbuckled the gag; he wanted to hear Albel's moans clearly. The gag fell from Albel's mouth onto the table with a sharp noise. Cliff gripped Albel's hair in one fist, pulling his head back as he moved into position. He crushed Albel's lips with his as he pushed into him. It was a good thing the table was heavy, or they have pushed it forward and fallen awkwardly to the floor. Cliff pounded in to Albel, pulling on his hair, making him arch his back. He let go of his hair, gripping his hips with both hands as he focused on the other. Albel groaned, gasping.

When it ended, they were both exhausted and sort of stumbled back into the living room where they collapsed on the couch.

The next day, Albel surprised Cliff by putting on the flight attendant uniform and they did it all over again, and gladly.

On the third day, Cliff received a message from Fayt detailing that he would be there in a few hours. Cliff hid the outfits in his ship at Albel's demand.

When Fayt arrived on the taxi and paid his extremely outrageous bill, Cliff helped him carry his bags into the cabin. Once he was through the door, Cliff slung the bags onto the floor and picked Fayt up. He kissed his lips fiercely, then set him back down. "It's been too long," Cliff said. Fayt laughed, looking around for Albel. "Albel?" he called. The Elicoorian tapped him on the shoulder. Fayt turned around and grinned. "Albel!" The two shared a long kiss of greeting.

Fayt set his bag down and stretched. It had been a long ride, even in gravitic warp. He was a bit hungry, but he wanted to succumb to another desire before that one. It had been entirely too long. Besides… they might not get another opportunity after this.

"Can we… go up to the bedroom?" Fayt asked coyly, turning to the other two.

"Why do you even bother to ask?" Albel wondered aloud as he walked by Fayt. He snatched the boy by his collar and gently pulled him along toward the door. He gestured for Cliff and the blonde shrugged a shoulder and followed them.

Fayt paused on the stairs, eyes fixed to Albel's bare waist. There were bruises from Cliff's fingers there, marks from something, welts, and… was that a small burn mark?

"What in hell happened to you?" Fayt demanded, pointing at Albel's bare flesh.

Cliff and Albel looked where Fayt was pointing. The two shared a private look that struck a cord of jealousy in Fayt. He shouldn't let it bother him. He had always sort of known that the two must do fetishes, and it wasn't that he was interested in that. He felt jealous at the shared look in general. He recalled the bruises from asphyxiation on Albel's neck, Cliff slapping Albel to get him off, pulling on his hair. Cliff cleared his throat a little. "Well, my fingers… er, looks like a crop… a flog… a whip… Oh, and a can of white gas and a gas lighter."

Fayt blinked several times. "I don't even want to know."

"That last one was an accident."

Albel smiled crookedly, obviously not minding. "Shall we?" He gestured to the door upstairs with a tilt of his head. Fayt shook his head to clear it, then nodded. The three ventured up the stairs. They wasted absolutely no time.

Fayt hurried out of his clothing, his desire almost too much for him. It really had been too long. It wasn't as if there wasn't reason to it; Fayt had returned to school and Cliff got caught up in work, so what could be done?

Cliff walked up behind Fayt, lifting the blindfold over him. Fayt laughed nervously. "I don't know about this…" he confessed.

"If it really bothers you, I'll take it off, but leave it for now, all right?"

Fayt nodded his consent. The other two quietly agreed in low whispers to give all of their attention to Fayt. Cliff carried the boy down to the bed, lying him down on his back in the center of the large mattress. Albel crawled on to the bed on the other side. For a while, they teased him, licking him, kissing him, trailing their fingertips along his bare flesh. Cliff left a trail of marks like little bruises along Fayt's chest, down to his naval from his neck. Albel ran his fingers along where he knew the veins to be in Fayt's thighs where it was especially sensitive to touch. Albel ran his tongue along one such vein, occasionally giving sucking kisses, nibbling on his flesh. Fayt gasped and moaned at what they were doing, but never saw them. Each touch was a surprise.

Albel dampened his bare fingers and gently eased them between Fayt's legs, preparing him. Fayt gasped softly. Cliff continued to tease the rest of him. Cliff lifted his head and kissed Albel's lips briefly before continuing on Fayt. Albel, sensing that Fayt was ready, started to move in to position, then changed his mind. He shifted again, slipping in another finger. It took a few minutes, working slowly as he tried to make it as comfortable and pleasing for the Earthling as he could. He tapped Cliff on the shoulder. Cliff turned and looked at him. Albel inclined his head towards Fayt, raising an eyebrow. Cliff started to frown, then realized what the Elicoorian meant. He nodded and changed places slowly and gracefully with Albel. He pushed Fayt's legs apart. Albel reached his hand between Cliff's legs, positioning both of his lovers.

Fayt cried out, moaning, fingers curling into the sheets. He knew immediately that it was Cliff, his first. He usually had Albel, because of convenience mostly, and this was a pleasant surprise.

Cliff felt fantastic inside him. And, Fayt thought, he had abstained completely this entire year they had been apart. This had been why; he couldn't find anyone else that made him feel the way these two did.

Albel touched both of them, completely absorbed with his lovers' bodies. They moved together, as together as could be anyway. Each alien totally enthralled with the other two in bed with him. They teased and pleasured Fayt into release. Fayt gasped, panting. It felt so good, finally. He had longed for this for so long. He had missed them both so much.

He ripped the blindfold off of his eyes, panting as he watched Cliff and Albel as the two kissed, their tongues meeting briefly, then parting. Albel leaned over Fayt. He smiled seductively. He kissed the Earthling. Cliff slid out of Fayt, pulling Albel over the boy. He grabbed a tissue over by the bedstand, swiping it quickly over himself and tossing it aside before he began to prepare Albel. He wondered vaguely if the Elicoorian would be patient enough. He usually was too impatient for preparation.

Today, however, it seemed to be just fine if not welcome. He continued kissing Fayt, touching Fayt, moaning at whatever Cliff did to him. Cliff decided he was ready enough and took him quickly. He was careful not to jar Albel too hard, lest the other two bonk teeth. Albel pushed back against him, dropping down to his elbows as he gasped in surprise. He tilted his head to kiss Fayt's neck. His teeth bit into the tender flesh. Fayt cried out, but more in delight than pain.

Cliff's hand encircled Albel. His hand brushed Fayt's fingers, already there. The two worked together on him. Under the stimulation from both of them, Albel finally reached his limit and spilled is seed over Fayt's chest and stomach. Some of it dribbled off of Fayt's side onto the bed. Cliff moaned softly, pushing harder into Albel. He watched the other two kiss again. The vision was stunning. He jerked his hips one last time. He pulled out of Albel, moving his hand against himself, working himself to peak. His semen fell in a white cascade on Albel's back. Albel groaned.

The Glyphian kissed Fayt one last time, then dropped down beside him on his stomach. Cliff grabbed a handful of tissues and cleaned up the other two. They lay in bed together for a time, just enjoying being together.

Cliff decided to break the silence. "So, Albel, tell me about the first time you had sex," he said.

Albel got comfortable. "Man or woman?"

"Who was first?"

Albel nodded, as if that confirmed it to him. He rolled his shoulder, trying to crack it. He didn't continue until he succeeded. He sighed, readjusting himself again against the cushions. Fayt was also curious. "It was a woman."

Cliff grinned. "All right. Was she cute?"

Albel scoffed, as if offended. "Of course."

"How old?" Fayt asked.

"A year older than me."

Cliff kissed his temple affectionately. "You like older women then," he said, as if that explained everything. It didn't. Albel flicked him in the forehead half-heartedly. "But go on."

"I was about 18…"

"That's a good age," Cliff interjected.

"Stop interrupting me." Albel paused, waiting for Cliff to say something. Cliff smiled and kissed him instead. Vermillion eyes rolled sarcastically. He sighed and continued anyway. "She was a maid… and cleaning my room. I'm not really sure how we ended up having sex, except I remember wondering why she wouldn't leave afterwards. I ended up staying up all night reading and trying to hint at her to leave... But she fell asleep."

Cliff laughed, long and hard. Fayt chortled, but tried not to. "Oh, that sounds like you," the Klausian said. "But you like cuddling with us afterwards."

"That's different," he insisted.

The blonde nodded. "I hate that predicament though. And you can't wake her up because she'd just want to cuddle and wouldn't leave."

Albel grinned. "Exactly!"

Cliff nodded again thoughtfully. Fayt didn't quite understand; he had never had a woman, so felt just a little left out. "So what about men?"

"Well, I didn't really like that she didn't take the hint to leave, so I made a point of bedding mostly men after that, because they understood," Albel said seriously. He looked at Fayt, who was watching him intently. He glanced back at Cliff. "What about you?"

Cliff shrugged a shoulder. "Fayt was my first _guy_," he said, affectionately rubbing Fayt's hair. The Earthling smiled a little contentedly. "But my first woman was Mirage."

The other two laughed. "Tell us something we don't know," Albel snickered.

"Oh, shut up," he said. "I had had a crush on her for three years and had been trying to get her into bed with me for over a year. Eventually, she caved." He shrugged a shoulder.

Fayt laughed a little, but felt kind of strange too. Albel and Cliff seemed to have had so many lovers. He had only ever had them. And while he liked that it was only the two people he actually wanted, he felt a little left out. Maybe inexperienced suddenly. He knew it shouldn't bother him, but it did. "How old were you?" Fayt asked him.

"Sixteen," Cliff said, with a touch of pride. Both Albel and Fayt hit him at the same time. They had both lost their virginity at the age of eighteen.

"No wonder you're such a pervert," Fayt muttered. "When did you start reading porn?"  
"Who actually 'reads' porn?" Cliff wondered aloud. He didn't wait for an answer, and it was rhetorical anyway. "Maybe about 13."

"Oh my God," Fayt gasped.

Cliff laughed. "And how old were you when you did?"  
Fayt had to force his jaw to move. "Sixteen."

"Albe—Never mind. You're from an underdeveloped planet."

Albel hit Cliff again. This makes three times in the past ten minutes or so. Cliff was not offended or indeed even hurt. "We actually have pornography," he pointed out, as if this were some sort of accomplishment. Cliff approved and said so. Fayt covered his face with a hand, wondering what was wrong with the universe in general. "I was fifteen."

"I'll bet your father was proud."

"He gave it to me," Albel said matter-of-factly. The other two laughed good-naturedly.

Fayt lifted his head. "Hey, let's all go out for a drink," he said suddenly. This sounded great to the other two, so they got out of bed and got ready to go.

A word from the author: I've been wanting to write that bondage scene *so bad*. Also, I get tired of seeing bondage used only in non-consensual fics, so here's something totally consensual, which in reality is more realistic.


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter Twenty-Three**

_Engaged_

Fayt looked from Albel to Cliff. They were both sufficiently buzzed. He wondered if it were wise to wait until they were buzzed or if he should have told them earlier. No, if he didn't tell them now, they'd just be drunk later. Furthermore, tomorrow they might have a hangover, and then they'd be sober after that was over, so it certainly couldn't wait for tomorrow. Besides, it wasn't fair to them if he stalled. In fact, it hadn't been fair to have that delicious intimate moment in bed.

He took a deep breath, his hands perched around the drink he had only taken one small sip out of. Finally, he looked the two in the eye. Could he really go through with this? Could he really tell them this? His heart pounded, his palms sweat. He was so unbelievably nervous. Most people would be nervous, but his reasons for the nervousness were not that of most others. How does one confess to their lovers that they're getting married to someone else? Fayt opened his mouth to say something, then stopped. Guilt whelmed inside of him, resting like an anchor in his stomach, clenching around his heart in a vice grip. He clamped his mouth shut and took a deep breath. He swiped a palm across his clammy forehead. He had to say it. He had to.

"I…I'm getting married," Fayt confessed, feeling all the guilt creep into his voice. The anchor in his stomach seemed to double in weight and it felt like a mountain had just crashed on his shoulders. The weight of the guilt left him crippled. He felt terrible suddenly. He had been living in virtual fear of this moment and its after-affects and now he was facing it.

Cliff nearly fell out of his chair. Albel stared at him as if Fayt had suddenly turned purple. "What?" he demanded.

Fayt gave them a helpless gesture. "I want to move on," he choked out. He realized that his hands were shaking. Did he look as guilty and terrible as he felt?

"Who?" the Klausian said placidly.

Fayt looked down at the mixed drink, finding himself incapable of answering that question and looking at him at the same time. "Sophia," he croaked. He flinched, as if expecting that the universe, upon seeing him so openly betray these two, should inevitably collapse upon him. When he looked up at Albel and Cliff, he felt as if he deserved it anyway.

The Glyphian took a deep breath. It wasn't calming. He counted to ten. He was still angry, so he recounted. He took another deep breath, determined not to lunge for Fayt's throat and throttle him, demanding to know why he would leave him and Cliff for Sophia. What did she have that was better than he and Cliff anyway?

He rose slowly to his feet and walked up to the bar. He spoke with the bartender briefly, handed over some money, and came back with a bottle of the Elicoorian equivalent of straight vodka. He pried off the lid and took a long swallow. He made a face, cringed at the taste and the feel of the hard liquor searing down his throat like so much molten lead, and took another long drink. He set the half-empty bottle down, feeling sufficiently drunk to handle the situation. Now if he tried to lunge at Fayt, he probably wouldn't be able to walk nor see straight enough to do any real damage to him.

Fayt glanced at the bottle, then at Albel. "You're drinking too much."

To show how little he now cared about this statement, Albel guzzled the remaining half of the bottle. He set the bottle down on the table. It tipped over, but it was empty so didn't matter much. Albel gave him a very drunk glare—which meant an unsteady one. He also couldn't decide which of the four Fayts he was seeing was the real Fayt. He abruptly passed out, slithering to the floor. Fayt blinked in surprise and went to help him. Cliff shoved him away. "Leave 'im there for now. He's fine," he insisted. He glanced at his own drink, finished it, and went up to the bar. Fayt watched Cliff come back with another bottle, this one rum.

Fayt stared at him. "Is it so bad?" he asked. His voice sounded small to him.

Cliff stepped over Albel's limp body and sat down. "You've announced the beginning of the end. True, we only see each other every so often these days, but now it'll probably be never."

Fayt looked aghast. "But you two are still…"

"Only two thirds of the whole," Cliff said, and took a pull at the rum. "We'll drift apart without you. But really, Fayt, I guess you're right. Time to move on. Congratulations." He finished off the rum and stared blankly into space drunkenly. Fayt sighed deeply and fell silent. Eventually, Cliff decided that perhaps they should go. He glanced at Albel, then got comfortable in his chair. Albel woke up in several more minutes. Still shit-faced drunk, Albel stumbled to his feet. He collapsed in his chair. He glanced around, looking for more alcohol, as one look at Fayt reminded him of why he was so drunk to begin with. Engaged!

He noticed that Fayt wasn't drinking his beverage. He stole it awkwardly and finished it for him. He handed it back to him and only missed the tab le by six inches. Fortunately, the cup didn't break when it fell on the floor. "I need another drink," Albel muttered.

Fayt rolled his eyes. "Another" was not the word Fayt would have used. "You're drunk enough," the Earthling insisted.

The Glyphian stared at the table for a moment, glanced at Cliff, and stumbled off to the bar again to order half of it. The bartender told him that he'd send over the shots in a moment, but he wasn't giving him nearly half of what he ordered. Albel was so drunk that he barely heard him and his mind only registered the words "shots," "bring over to your table," and "soon." He staggered back to the table and dropped down into his chair. Or, that was the idea anyway. He missed and fell on the floor instead. He wished the floor would stay still instead of vault around so sickeningly.

Cliff asked him what he ordered. Albel replied, "Shots! Do ya like vodka?"

Cliff's eyes flicked to the empty bottle of vodka. "Not as much as you do apparently."

Albel clambered back on to the chair. "Good. I ordered whiskey."

"Chasers?"

"Are for weaklings!" he announced. "And brandy."

Fayt stared at them. "_What?_"

"I ordered brandy too," Albel clarified. "And some…" His voice trailed off as the waitress plopped three shot glasses on the table and filled them with whiskey. She made the mistake of filling Albel's first, followed by Cliff's, and they were both done with their shots by the time she filled Fayt's. She glanced at the glasses. "Again," Albel insisted.

"Same here," Cliff added. The waitress gauged their levels of drunkenness, shrugged, and gave them what they wanted. It wasn't her problem if they died from alcohol poisoning so long as the sober one of the bunch stayed to pay the bill and remove the bodies. Cliff also ordered a few appetizers. The waitress walked back to the bar. The two downed the glasses immediately and eyed Fayt's untouched glass the way a group of vultures eye a dying man in the desert. Fayt pushed the glass to the middle of the table with a finger. Albel and Cliff both lunged for it at the same time. Cliff, the less drunk of the two as of yet, grabbed it first, finished it, and slammed it back down on the table.

Albel stared mournfully at the empty glasses. Marriage! He signaled the waitress for more alcohol. She walked back with the brandy this time. Cliff snagged her sleeve. "No no. Mix a shot of brandy, a shot of whiskey, a shot of rum, and some vodka. Just give me that."

Her eyes widened to the size of large coins. "Er, sir, here's your brandy." She scampered off after filling the glasses, keeping the glasses away from the two drunk ones until she was finished filling them. The waitress and the bartender both ignored them until they had eaten at least half of the appetizers. Some of the effects of the alcohol cooled with the food and time and the _non-alcoholic_ "vodka" the waitress gave them. They were so drunk that they didn't notice the difference.

They had two more rounds of shots, some beer, another round of shots, and then Albel passed out for the second time, falling to the floor gracelessly. Cliff had one more shot, then fell forward, unconscious. Instead of hitting the floor, Cliff went face-first onto the table. Their veins were certainly no longer filled with blood so much as liquor. Fayt rolled his eyes. Now what?

He glanced at the two unconscious bodies and decided to see if the barkeep had a room available. He did. Fayt stared at his companions, trying to decide how to get them upstairs. The barkeep left his post and helped him carry them upstairs and put them in separate beds. He found a couple buckets for them in case they woke and needed to vomit, and then the barkeep brought up a cot for Fayt.

In the morning, both of them had hangovers, threw up several times, and Fayt had to throw out the vomit; otherwise take care of them. When Fayt left to empty one of the buckets (again), Albel sat up, threw off his armor and sword, which he had slept all night with on, and slithered in to bed with Cliff. "I'm going to kill him," Albel muttered, leaning his head against the Klausian. It felt good somehow, comforting. He wanted to be comforted. They both did, and neither could think of a single better person than the other to go to. The only other person was the cause of all of this.

"You don't mean that," Cliff said.

"'Course I do," he insisted. And then as an afterthought, "I'm not going to the fucking wedding."

Cliff sighed, closing his eyes. His headache pounded like a mad drummer on ecstasy. "Hmm."

"Fucking Sophia… Married!"

Cliff tousled Albel's hair affectionately. "If you must kill someone, kill Sophia," he said half-jokingly.

Albel considered this seriously for a moment, then nodded once. "Good idea."

The door opened. Fayt glanced at them, then put cold, wet cloths on their foreheads. He had a soup broth for them too. It took the pair half the day to recover. Afterwards, they wanted a couple shots "for the road." The barkeep just shrugged and gave it to them.

Fayt felt like this was going to be a long day.

Back at the cabin, Cliff and Albel made their way into the kitchen and pulled out some wine. As if they needed more alcohol. "Don't have any champagne…" He poured three glasses and handed one to Fayt. "In… honour of your engagement. Drink up." There was a slight sneer to his voice when he said the word "engagement." Albel glowered at him from behind him; Fayt could feel his arresting eyes on him, accusing him of the worst kind of betrayal. Fayt knew he deserved it.

Fayt took the glass, looking into it but not drinking from it. He wished they wouldn't act like this. But he knew why. They were angry and hurt. Why wouldn't they act this way? But it was still hurtful to Fayt. Usually, announcing that you were getting married was a happy occasion. But to them, it was open betrayal. He should have expected nothing less, but he was still disappointed. He had expected this kind of behaviour from them, he knew. But he had hoped for better.

The Klausian and Elicoorian proceeded to drink the rest of the bottle. Fayt sipped at his wine quietly. The other two pulled out another bottle and went into the living room area. Albel gave Fayt a dirty, murderous look as he passed. The horrible things dancing through Albel's mind were evident in the single look. Fayt automatically backed up a step, the hair on the back of his neck rising in warning that he was in a potentially dangerous situation. He looked away. Maybe he should have told them just before he left. No, that wasn't fair to them, to deceive them and be happy for a few days, and then part with such news.

Fayt wandered into the living room after them. Albel was lounging in the armchair and Cliff was spread out on the sofa. Both of them made a point of not looking at Fayt, and busying themselves with finishing off their glasses.

Fayt stood awkwardly in the doorway, struggling to find a path through this tangled emotional mess. He needed to say something. He needed to try to make this right. Or, at least, do something to calm their anger. "Why are you so angry?" he said suddenly. "We only see each other a couple times a year. Isn't it only natural that we drift apart? Isn't it time we all moved on with our lives?"

"Fuck you," Albel snapped. Apparently not.

Fayt backed up a step. His back hit the doorframe. "But…"

The Elicoorian hurled his empty glass across the room, shooting to his feet. It shattered less than a yard from Fayt's head against the wall, causing Fayt to cry out in surprise and jump with a start. He hadn't been aiming at Fayt; he had just thrown it. That it almost hit him was complete coincidence. "Fuck you!" He shook with rage. He felt like he'd been deceived and lied to. Fayt was getting married. Hadn't the Earthling been the one to confess that he might love them? And now he was throwing everything away for Sophia. "Go back to your own planet and marry _Sophia_. But don't come here again or I will _kill you_!"

Albel stormed up the stairs, trying to flee before he acted upon his threat. He slammed the door to the stairs and stomped all the way up them. Deep down, he didn't want to hurt Fayt. He wanted Fayt to hurt as much as he did or more, but he really didn't want to do it. Was that what "love" was? Did he love him? What a time to realize _that_! The second door slammed above them. Cliff flinched at the loud sound. Fayt's lower lip trembled. Upstairs, Albel leaned heavily against the door. Slowly, he sunk to his knees, staring down at the floor. Engaged. Sophia. Fayt, engaged. _Do I love him too?_

Cliff glanced away. Fayt started to go up the stairs after Albel. "Don't do that," Cliff warned him. "He'll throw you down the stairs… if you're lucky."

Fayt hesitated, then ran up the stairs anyway. He found the door locked. "Albel, please!" he pleaded, banging on the door. "Listen to me! Please! I don't want this to end this way!" Fayt threw himself against the door, but it was solid and it held up against him. He pounded on it uselessly. Albel's hands raised, covering his ears in an attempt to block out the sound. His fingers sank into his hair, his nails digging into his scalp. Why wouldn't he go away? "Please… Albel…"

Cliff shook his head sadly downstairs, taking a long sigh. He finished his glass. He knew this could be the only way it could ever have ended. Hadn't he known that two years ago when all of this began?

Fayt eventually began to cry as Albel continued to ignore him. Several minutes passed. The Earthling desperately tried to talk to Albel, who, if he said anything at all, said only "go away." Fayt sunk down to the floor, trying the latch again. Still locked. "Please, talk to me, Albel!" he cried.

Suddenly, he heard the lock click. The door swung open. Albel glared down at him, seething with rage. He was shaking with it. He hadn't been this angry when, over two years ago, Fayt had left him back at Bequerel, still alive and wishing otherwise. Fayt got the idea that he was in danger and moved to get away from it. Albel grabbed him by the scruff of his neck, squeezing his throat. Fayt gagged, gasping for air. Albel picked him up. He was too angry to speak, too enraged to form coherent sentences. Instead, he let his actions do the speaking for him and tossed Fayt down the stairs. Albel watched Fayt cry out in surprise, and then pain as he landed on his side on the steps and rolled down the rest of the way, the full story down, over ten feet of stairs. Fayt crashed against the walls, trying to right himself and failing, tumbling down the steps. He slithered to the floor in what Albel judged to be a satisfactory manner. The door slammed shut again and locked. Cliff watched Fayt for a moment, then walked over to him. He picked the boy up. Fayt was sobbing softly, and more hurt emotionally than physically.

He carried him to the sofa and held him while he wept and whispered quietly about Albel, only a word or two here and there making sense. Eventually, Fayt fell asleep in Cliff's arms, too exhausted to do anything else. He laid Fayt down and cleaned up the broken glass on the floor. Fortunately, Albel had recently become an alcoholic and the glass had been empty.

Cliff glanced at Fayt. He pulled a blanket over the boy and crept up the stairs. He knocked on the door lightly, a gentle rap. "Albel, it's me," Cliff said quietly.

He heard Albel get up off of what he assumed was the single sofa in the room. He listened to him walk over to the door and unlock it, step aside, and open the door. Cliff stepped through the doorway, closing the door behind him. Albel looked up at Cliff, and to Cliff looked like positively the most miserable thing in existence. Cliff took him in his arms. Albel leaned his head against Cliff's shoulder, letting him comfort him.

"Engaged," he muttered softly. "Engaged."

Cliff sighed, inhaling deeply of Albel's hair. He was upset too. But he had always sort of expected it. Albeit, he hadn't expected it from Fayt. He had more expected it from himself or Albel. Well, Fayt was probably just as likely as the other two if he thought about it. More so even; Sophia had always liked him and she was there with him. "I'm still here."

"For how long?" His voice was flat. Listening to it, he never would have guessed how angry and saddened the other was.

Cliff felt pained, because he knew he could only stay for a couple more days. He suddenly changed the subject. "Did you love him?"

A slight nod against his shoulder. "I'm not certain… I think so."

Cliff held him a little bit tighter. If he wasn't certain, then Albel could still recover. He wouldn't be so crushed as to dwell on this moment forever. He was still young too; he could move on. Cliff wasn't so lucky, but he wouldn't tell the other two about how he knew he felt. It would make the parting worse than it already was going to be. He had to keep it to himself.

Albel suddenly pulled away from him. "I need to be alone," he said softly. He turned to go down the stairs.

"Come back?" Cliff asked him. "Please?"  
He paused in the doorway. "I won't abandon you. I'm not like Fayt," he said bitterly. He walked slowly down the stairs, disappearing from view. Cliff sat down heavily on the bed. He glanced at the pile of used tissue on the bedstand, and at the messy blankets stained with sweat and other things. Well, no matter what happened, he still had Albel… for however long that might last.

Albel paused at the bottom of the steps. Fayt was awake and sitting up. He was fiddling with his communicator. He had heard Albel's last statement and the pain it gave him reflected sadly in his voice. "… No, I need it today," he pleaded into the speaker. A satellite had been put in place near Elicoor to monitor it, and that was the only reason Fayt could even make a call here. A long pause. "Tomorrow is the earliest?" Another pause, then a deep sigh. "All right. What time? … 3 o'clock. Got it. Thanks." Fayt set the communicator down, hanging his head. "I'm leaving tomorrow. Sorry I can't leave sooner, but I'm stuck for now." There was a sad, self-loathing tone to Fayt's voice. Albel didn't respond. "So… could you tolerate me for another night?"

"Don't talk to me," Albel snapped. He breezed past him out the door. For the second time in his life, Fayt cried himself into a fitful sleep because of Albel. The first time he had that day had been for both Cliff and Albel, but this time only the Elicoorian. Cliff hadn't been so cruel… but he wouldn't be. He knew that he could still be friends with Cliff after he married Sophia. Albel was another story entirely.

Cliff "prepared" dinner by using the facilities onboard his ship and brought it into the cabin. While he had been gone, Albel had returned. The only evidence in this was that Fayt was staring at the door to the bedroom.

"Is Albel here?" Cliff asked softly. Fayt nodded dully. "Albel! Come down and eat!"  
"No," he responded immediately. Cliff sighed and set Fayt's plate in front of him on the coffee table. He left his own plate beside Fayt's and walked up the stairs with Albel's portion. He knocked on the door. "Cliff?"  
"Yeah."

"It's open."

He pushed the door open. Albel was lying face-down on the bed and seemed to be trying to take up as much space as his petite body would allow. If the mood right now weren't so grim, he might have found it attractive or at least sort of humorous. "I brought you dinner."

"I'm not hungry."

"The only thing you've had all day is liquor."

Albel didn't say anything to contradict or confirm this. Cliff sighed and set the plate down nearby him anyway. He went downstairs and brought Albel half a bottle of brandy. He had poured the other half into his own tall glass. He set the bottle down. Albel grabbed the bottle, but left the food. Cliff sighed and decided to leave him be for now. He touched the back of his lover's head in quiet empathy, trying to convey that he understood in that touch. He turned to go, but Albel snagged his wrist. He turned and looked down at him.

Albel looked like he wanted to say something, then stopped. He looked away and let go of Cliff's wrist. Cliff paused, waiting for the other to change his mind. He waited for half a minute and the Glyphian didn't move. He sighed resignedly and left the room.

Below, Fayt didn't so much as look at him. He seemed to shrink as much as he could into the couch, eating quietly, and finishing his meal quickly. Immediately, he left the room and went outside. He looked up at the sky. Albel really meant it when he told him not to come back. It wasn't because Albel had threatened him, but Fayt would try to respect his wishes that he never return. He closed his eyes, trying to imprint in his mind forever the way the air smelled here, the sound of the trees and the grass in the breeze. He opened his eyes and looked at the stars. Most especially, he had to remember the three moons and the placement of the stars. Somewhere in those stars was his own home. And from his own home, somewhere in the night sky was Elicoor II. He had to remember that.

He sat down on the porch, watching the stars. He didn't know how much time passed, but the door opened behind him. Cliff walked over to him and stood beside him for a time in silence. He set a blanket over Fayt's shoulders and let his hand rest on Fayt's blue hair briefly. As he turned to leave, Fayt finally managed to say something. "Do you hate me too?" he asked him.

Cliff shook his head. "Not really. I never thought it could last anyway."

Fayt snorted an ironic laugh. "When we first started having sex, I thought that it couldn't last. For a while, I thought I must be wrong." A small pause. "Guess not."

Cliff wanted to say something, but what was there to say? Instead, he turned away and went back inside. Out of lack of anything else to do, he washed the dishes. He wandered around the living room for a bit, then decided that it was getting late and he might as well go to sleep. The upstairs bedroom was locked. He knocked. There was no reply, so either Albel had fallen asleep or wanted to be alone and hoped that silence was enough of a hint. Cliff knew where the key to the door was, but decided to leave the Elicoorian alone anyway.

It was a shame that that was the only bed in the cabin. Cliff found a spare blanket and curled up on the couch. When Fayt came inside, he slept in the armchair. His dreams were haunted by Cliff's silence and Albel's harsh, searing words.

Albel spent half the night sharpening and polishing his sword, and seriously considering how very close Fayt was at the moment, staring at the gleaming edge of the blade. His grip on the handle tightened and he rose from his position on the edge of the bed. Quietly, he crept down the stairs and looked at the two in the living room. He saw that both of them were asleep; Fayt slept fitfully and Cliff slept like a log on the couch and in fact only stirred briefly, then quieted when Albel pushed the door open the rest of the way. He waited until Cliff's breathing evened as he slipped back into a deeper sleep before stepping into the room.

The blade glinted in the moonlight streaming in through the windows. A light breeze ruffled his hair. Someone had left the window partway open, but it wasn't a cold night. He walked over to Fayt, recalling how, long ago, he had done this very thing before--very similar anyway. He had stood over him with his sword, and Fayt had been asleep. He should have just killed him then. He never should have let their relationship develop. Never should have… Oh, but there was nothing to be done about it now. How different things were now, compared to then. Oh, how things had changed. Should he…? He lifted the sword, swallowing hard, still undecided on the matter. He had thought that looking at the Earthling might tilt the scales in one direction or another; but it only seemed to make his decision more clouded.

He closed his eyes, thinking of every time Fayt had done something to him to hurt him. There was that time at Bequerel. Fayt's fault that he had been accused of treason. It was his fault that he had nearly died in prison. And now, after he had forgiven him for all that, put it behind him, and began a relationship of sorts with him, he was marrying Sophia. After all that, Fayt had given up.

Albel's grip on the sword tightened. Rage inundated his being. He glared down at Fayt. He wanted to kill him. How dare he plan to marry Sophia. How dare he. Images of Fayt with Sophia flooded his mind, tainted with hate… and hurt.

He lifted the sword higher, above Fayt. He would kill him. He couldn't let those images come to pass. Fayt and Sophia. Their wedding. _I do_. A kiss. Their first child. No. Absolutely not. He couldn't let it happen.

A hand wrapped around his wrist. Another arm wrapped around his stomach, pulling him away from Fayt. Albel felt his back thump against Cliff chest. Cliff held him close to him, keeping a firm grip on his wrist. "Don't do this," he whispered. "Don't kill him because you can't have him."

That wasn't why… The sword lowered. The point touched the floor. That _was_ why. Albel hung his head. He couldn't believe he could be so outrageously jealous. Suddenly, all the fight died. He might have rebelled against Cliff and tried to kill Fayt anyway. But he no longer felt the volition, and Cliff had asked him not to. "All right." He pulled away and went back upstairs alone. The door locked behind him. He angrily sheathed the sword and fell down on the bed again. He rolled onto his side in the middle of the big bed, alone. His legs curled up against his chest. Fayt, engaged.

He shifted a little, feeling the empty yawn of the large bed… a bed that was meant for three.

Cliff rubbed his temples. He could hardly believe that Albel had just about killed Fayt over this, and the same time, it wasn't that surprising really. Albel reacted violently to just about everything. This should have been expected. He sighed, sitting down heavily on the couch. He hung his head, burying his face in his hands. What could he do?

Fayt woke feeling sick. Not out of any physical illness, but mentally sick and emotionally scarred. He watched the dawn light slowly fill the room, too petrified of his dreams to try to sleep again. Dreams of walking down one path to see the path behind him close forever after he heard someone call out his name, but that person was lost with the path and he was alone. Dreams of running, chasing after Cliff or Albel and sometimes both of them, yet never managing to get close enough for them to hear him and they would disappear without ever once looking back at him. Dreams of pleading with Albel to understand, to not hate him, and dreams of Cliff's stony silence.

When the sun had completely risen, he slipped on his shoes and went for a walk. He wanted to look around Elicoor one lost time, and he wanted to be away from his nightmares. He had walked around a small forest path and walked back on the loop it took. He was staring straight down and nearly ran in to Cliff.

"Fayt, can we talk?" he asked him.

The Earthling looked up at the Klausian, a hopeless expression on his face. "Yes."

"Good." For some time, they walked in a sort of silence, the sound of a nearby brook and morning creatures stirring. Morning was a pleasant time, Cliff thought. "Do you know _why_ Albel is so upset?"

"I'm leaving both of you for Sophia."

Cliff sighed. "Part of it. He wants you, and you're leaving—forever."  
Fayt felt offended. "He _told_ me to leave forever."

"Only because he doesn't want to see you again after you told us you were marrying Sophia." Cliff glanced up at the canopy above, watching the sunlight glisten on the morning dew in the leaves. "Why are you marrying Sophia? You said it was because you wanted to move on."

Fayt nodded. "Yeah. Maybe some of it was pressure from our families, but I mean… We only see each other so often, and I want a real relationship."

Cliff couldn't argue with that, so chose not to. "All right. Obviously, we can't work anything out. You're an Earthling, and I'm a Klausian." He laughed. "That's almost taboo as it is. Also, we're guys. Add Albel into the mix, and we've got some major problems if we want to ever settle all three of us down on a developed planet... or even here for that matter. So, yeah, I see your point."

"Do you hate me too?" Fayt wondered.

Cliff blinked and seriously considered this for a moment, then shook his head. "No. I understand. I'm not happy, but I'll live. So will Albel. So don't worry about it."

He nodded. "Thanks," he said quietly.

The path opened up back to the cabin again. Cliff split off and walked back to the cabin. Fayt took another path. When Cliff came inside, he found Albel in the kitchen with a hangover. He had apparently drunk the rest of the brandy sometime after the incident last night and was suffering the consequences of drinking on an empty stomach.

Cliff sighed deeply and gave him a pain killer for the headache and went to his ship to see about breakfast. As he was walking to the cabin with a large platter, Fayt happened by. Cliff handed him the platter and went back to get the other one. Fayt stared down at the food, wondering how he had suddenly become the serving boy, then shrugged and brought it inside. Albel was curled up on the couch with head pains.

"That's what you get for drinking so much," Fayt reprimanded him. His voice had a teasing, almost playful edge to it as he attempted to make things a little less rough between them, as if maybe he could at least pretend that things hadn't changed. The dream was shattered fairly quickly; Albel hissed something offensive and rude at him, but Fayt ignored him. He sat down across from him. "I'm leaving in a few hours. I just wanted to tell you that if you ever change your mind about letting me come visit, you can always send me an e-mail." Cliff had given Albel a communicator after the satellite had been put in place (and showed him how to use it). Albel kept it in a locked drawer in his room in Kirlsa under a fine layer of dust where it was disturbed from its resting place perhaps once a year—twice if Albel got particularly bored. Fayt knew this, but he was hopeful anyway. "I'd like to come back and see you again."

Albel considered saying something rude, nearly said it automatically, then stopped himself just in time. He cleared his throat and said what was really on his mind. "Maybe some day."

Fayt sighed in relief. Cliff came inside with the other tray and divided up plates and other such. They ate mostly in silence and Fayt helped Cliff with the dishes. Afterwards, Fayt went for another brief walk. He came back inside to get one last look around the cabin. It was nearing time for his taxi.

He got a call on his communicator informing him that it would be there in about half an hour or less. It was an hour early. Ordinarily, that may have been a good thing… but he didn't want to leave.

Fayt hauled his bags outside. That was a considerably shorter trip than he had thought it would be. Oh, well… Oh, well.

Fayt hugged Cliff goodbye and quietly requested that he kiss him one last time before he never could again. Cliff obliged him. The kiss lasted considerably longer than either had intended. Fayt was breathless at the end of it. He smiled up at Cliff, but the smile was tinged with sadness. He glimpsed Albel behind Cliff, standing in the doorway to the kitchen.

Fayt looked at him, his eyes pleading, but not saying a word. Albel looked back at him, his face impassive and his eyes shadowed by his hair. He turned his back to him and walked away. Outside, Fayt heard the sound of the taxi's engines. It had made good time.

"Albel…"

"Goodbye, Fayt," Cliff said to him.

Fayt looked up at him. "Bye, Cliff." He hesitated at the door, looking anxiously back at where he knew Albel to be, but the swordsman didn't come back out. "Bye, Albel." Fayt hurried out the door, not looking behind him. He didn't see Albel walk back beside Cliff, and didn't turn to see them silently watching him leave

Cliff and Albel had gone to bed together that night. Neither were in the mood for words, so they let their bodies say goodbye forever. Some things the body says better than the mind.

When Cliff woke, Albel had vanished without a trace. His clothes, his sword, his armor, and his pack were all gone. Cliff didn't know why he bothered to search the cabin for him, or look outside for him. He knew he wasn't there and likely never would be again. He had left his key to the cabin sitting on the table, which meant more than any words could have. It was over and that was the end.

Well, maybe it was better this way. It certainly didn't feel better right now though. He felt pretty damn awful right now. He took his time packing up everything into his ship. He moved a box out of the way to make room for a bag. The lid slid partway off. He bent to replace the lid. He stilled as he realized what it was. The maid outfit. He picked it up off the floor, considering for a moment. He brought it back inside the cabin. He brought the flight attendant outfit and the fetish outfit he had for Fayt too. They had never got to that one, but he had put a lot of thought into it. Shame too; Fayt would have looked cute in the bunny outfit.

Oh, well.

He left them sitting upstairs on the bed. He shut all the doors to the house and turned off the generator, switching on the one that powered the security system and the shield. Nothing on this planet could break in without taking out a wall. And the place was so far away—who would be out here? He didn't care anyway. There was nothing here. It was just a place that they got together at. A place that was had been important, but now served no purpose. He sighed and left Elicoor II, probably forever.

_Farewell,_ he thought..


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter Twenty-Four**

_Happy Ending_

Fayt fiddled self-consciously with the plain gold band on his finger. The wedding band. He had worn it for almost five years now. Fayt hadn't seen Albel in five years, and Cliff in over two. It had been a long time.

He had run into the blonde quite by accident at a space port three years ago, the last time he had seen him. Things had been a little awkward and quiet between them. Neither had heard from Albel at the time. Cliff had mentioned that Albel had actually sent him a message once… but that had been months before their encounter at the spaceport. Fayt had asked to see it. Cliff had only looked away and changed the subject. Fayt supposed that it had been none of his business anyway.

The taxi landed. Fayt got out and began the time-consuming trek to Airyglyph. The land around Airyglyph wasn't flat enough to cultivate, let alone land the cab, so they had dropped him off near Arias. He dropped by the mansion, hoping to find Clair or Nel, but neither were around. With a sigh, he merely continued his journey. He had to see Albel first and foremost-even if Albel lived up to his threat and killed him. He just had to see him. It had been bothering him for years, and now he finally had time, so here he was.

He didn't know where Albel might be exactly—and Albel checked his communicator messages once a year at most anyway, and never responded to anything Fayt wrote him at that. Fayt sighed quietly. If it weren't for Cliff, he wouldn't even know if Albel had thrown it away. Fayt had chatted with Cliff briefly over their communicators, and the Klausian had affirmed that Albel had sent him a message as recently as two years ago. Didn't mean much, but it was something.

Talking with Cliff these days was awkward, more than it should be. Something always hung between them. The best way to put it would be like two people standing in a room talking to each other with a grand piano attached to the ceiling, and if the piano were mentioned or even looked at, it would fall on them. It made carrying on any conversation difficult in the extreme. Other times it was less like something hanging in the air and more like standing at the edge of a chasm where he could barely see his ex-lover beyond. It was such a shame that things had turned out this way; they had been so close before.

The walk from Arias to Kirlsa was a lot longer than he remembered. He had started working out more since he came back home, spurred by how weak he was when he had first been marooned on Vanguard. All the same, the walk seemed longer. Or perhaps—more lonely? He had never made this walk alone before. He had also never seen Airyglyph at this time of year. It was late spring, so the snow should be gone. It was still quiet—spring, but with the air of winter. Airyglyph didn't have the abundant life that Aquaria did.

He came to Kirlsa and decided to check Woltar's mansion. Would the old man even still be alive? The guards didn't recognize him. They had no reason to. The last time he had been here was over five years ago. Hell, he was twenty-five years old now. With a sinking feeling, he realized that that meant Albel would be over thirty, and Cliff was near forty. He let out a low whistle at that and explained to the guards who he was. They immediately let him pass. He thanked them and continued on to the mansion.

He inquired as to Woltar's whereabouts. He was apparently still alive, but now retired from the Brigade, and for that matter, was upstairs. Something about heart problems for the reason of retirement. _We're all getting older_…

He wondered if Cliff and Albel looked any different. Somehow, he couldn't picture either of them getting old. Particularly not someone as stubborn as Albel. He was the type to defy even time.

Woltar's study door was closed. Fayt knocked politely and after receiving an affirmative to enter, he did. He was indeed getting older and more mature.

The count peered at him closely, then his eyebrows raised in surprise. "Fayt? Fayt Leingod?"

Fayt smiled. "Yeah."

"Sit down, boy," he said, shoving some papers to the side. "What brings you all the way back here?"

Fayt sat down across from him. He glanced briefly out the window. "Albel, actually," he admitted. "He told me not to come back or he'd kill me. But I wanted to talk to him."

Woltar's face fell. "Oh…"

Fayt's heart hammered. Woltar wouldn't make such a face if something wasn't wrong. He knew that expression. It always came before bad news. The doctor had made that same expression when…

His fingers curled around the lacquered armrests. "What?" he said. It came out as a plead, and more high-pitched than he had intended. He cleared his throat and tried again. "What?" That sounded better.

Woltar glanced away. He let out a long, sad sigh that carried the weight of the words he was about to say. "Albel disappeared some two years or so ago."

Fayt stared at him disbelieving. "No…" he whispered. He couldn't believe him. Albel—disappear? To where? What happened? Suddenly, the look Cliff had on his face at the space port made sense. Albel had told Cliff something—probably something relating to his disappearance. Maybe requested that Cliff not say anything about it. Or perhaps Cliff didn't wish to. But Cliff knew something. "'Disappeared'?" he choked out.

Woltar looked at Fayt with pity in his eyes. "He never told me where he was going, only that he was leaving and would be back when he could return."

Fayt felt like he was swimming through chocolate pudding. His head pounded with the implications. But Albel had planned on returning. He had planned on returning!

Woltar opened a drawer on his desk and retrieved an old key. He set it down on the desk in front of Fayt. He tapped on the key. "Albel gave me this fore safekeeping when he left. It's the key to his room and office at the Training Facility."

Fayt began to reach for it, then hesitated. There might be a clue there. Something—anything. He picked up the key. "I'll bring this back," Fayt assured him. He rose and began to leave. He turned around back to Woltar. "Thank you." He was already out the door by the time Woltar had said "you're welcome."

He forced himself to walk all the way to the Training Facility. Running wouldn't make Albel magically appear. It would be the same inside whether he ran or walked, so he walked. He couldn't help but speed up a little when he saw the building though. He had thought it was so sinister the first time he had seen it. Now… now it represented a shred of hope. Perhaps there would be some kind of clue inside. He hoped so. He really hoped so.

Fayt had forgotten how big the place was and quickly got lost, unable to find the room. He asked for directions from a member of the staff and still couldn't find it. He asked another girl and she giggled and led him to the room.

"No one's been in it for since Sir Albel left," she confided to him. "There's only the one key, you see, so we can't even get in to clean."

"Why don't you just break the door down?" Fayt muttered darkly. "He's been gone for years. The odds of him coming back are pretty low."  
The poor girl looked mortified and near-tears. She must have been about fifteen years old. "You mustn't say that," she cried. "Sir Albel will come back!"

Fayt blinked in surprise, wishing he could have her vindication. Maybe he would have when he was her age. But not any more. As he aged, he had slowly become a little less naïve and a little more cynical. Time does that to a person. "But… surely you appointed someone else as Captain of the Black Brigade…? I mean, he's been gone so long that…"

She looked up at him, her big brown eyes welling with tears. "There is someone else now… But… Sir Albel will come back… He has to…"

Fayt looked away, sorry he had mentioned it. Honestly, he shared the same sentiment with her. He wanted him to come back too. He glanced back at the girl. She looked familiar somehow… She stopped in front of a door. Trembling, she pointed at the door. "That's it," she said, sniffing back tears.

Fayt was moved to pity. "Look, I'm sorry. I want Albe—Sir Albel to come back too."

She smiled. "Really?"

"Yeah… We're old friends." He blinked. "But why does it mean so much to you?"

She swiped at her eyes a little. "Oh… My… good friend has been so upset since he left." She looked back at Fayt and smiled a little. "Sir Nox was sort of… someone he looked up to, y'know?"

Fayt nodded his understanding. "So Albel was his childhood hero." He sighed, closing his eyes sadly. Albel meant a lot to him too. He just had to know what had happened. He opened his eyes. His eyes widened as he realized who the girl was. She was the girl from Kirlsa, who he had seen outside playing with a boy about her age. The boy, he recalled, had seemed to be kind of a brat at the time as he played, and had idolized the Glyphian captains. She had gotten older too. Things sure did change. He smiled a little to himself. "I'm sure Albel is all right."

"I hope so," she said. "I have to get back to work now, sir…?"  
"Fayt Leingod," he answered.

"Fayt… Leingod… Oh!" Her eyes widened. "You're the boy who saved us seven years ago?"  
Fayt blushed a little. "Guess so."

She smiled contentedly, as if everything were suddenly all right. "Well, goodbye then." She turned and walked away. Fayt watched her go. "I hope he comes back too," he whispered to himself. He pulled the key from his pocket and put it in the lock. It grated open, the mechanism unused and uncared for. He pushed the door open. The only light was from the hallway, and the rectangle of light came in stark contrast with the darkness of the room and he still couldn't see.

Using the light from his communicator, he found the window and pulled back the ridiculously heavy drapes. Upon letting some light into the room, he discovered that the drapes were actually thick rugs nailed over the windows to keep the light out. He had always sort of known that Albel was eccentric; this only confirmed it. Upon early rising with little sleep, the sun was too cheery and bright: Thus, the heavy rugs that should have been on the floor instead of the wall.

He almost moved the rugs back in place upon seeing how filthy everything was. He found a lamp on a table and after some digging through the dust even found a flint. He hadn't used one in years, but got it to light. He turned up the wick and realized it needed dusting. He used his sleeve to get rid of some of the dust. His sleeve came away filthy. Fayt made a face at his sleeve and looked around the room. This was the office.

There was a desk, a bookcase, some shelving, and a chair. The desk was messy, but it was organized mess—papers stacked in neat piles, but too many of them to be considered "neat." One pile looked ready to collapse. An old pen, a dried out inkwell, and a few other random paraphernalia, including an interestingly shaped paperweight littered the surface area of the desk. The books didn't look to be in any particular order, and the things on the shelves ranged from a knife, to a couple old books, to scrolls, to maps. There was a fireplace on one side, covered in cobwebs.

All of it was covered in a heavy layer of dust. Even the ashes in the fireplace were covered in dust. He had always wondered at how, if a room is undisturbed, dust settles. Like it comes from nowhere in particular, and is only chased away by constant disturbance and use. All in all, it was pretty dreary and dampened Fayt's spirits. The odds of finding anything useful seemed pretty bleak in all this dust.

Maybe he should ask for the cleaning crew. The thought crossed his mind, but he didn't. He opened a couple drawers, not finding anything of interest. He had a hard time picturing Albel sitting at a desk doing paperwork, but there it was. He found some wax for sealing letters, a few candles too. He lit one with the lamp and put it in a dusty candlestick. It helped chase away the gloom, but it helped illuminate the cobwebs in the corners too. He made a face and tried to open the last drawer. It was locked. He sighed deeply. How to open it? He frisked the desk and shelves for a key, but didn't find anything. He picked up the lamp and went past the door to his ex-lover's bedroom.

Fayt immediately tripped over something. He stumbled wildly and caught himself on the doorframe, but he dropped the lamp in the process and the light went out. Cursing, he fumbled for the lamp and brought it back into the office. He relit it and opened the shutter all the way. He stared down at the floor, looking for what he had tripped on. He kneeled down when he saw what it was. An old gauntlet. He touched it, making a mark through the dust. He stepped over it, into the room. He lifted the lamp higher, trying to find the window. He shoved the rugs away from the glass, managing to hook them back on a nail. He sneezed when the dust was disturbed. Sunlight filtered in through the dusty glass, helping to illuminate the room.

Fayt looked around. He had never seen Albel's room, or his office for that matter. Never occurred to him that he might have an office. He supposed that it made sense; he was a captain in their military after all. Still, it seemed odd, even humorous.

The room was pretty bare. There were a couple swords mounted on the wall—typical. There was a small, round table with a knife sitting on it as if it had been placed there because it was convenient at the time rather than anything else. A closet was at the far end. Other than that, nothing much was inside. Fayt opened the door to the closet. It was a small walk-in closet, maybe about a yard deep and a yard across, two bars on each side. Sort of surprising. There were a couple outfits back there, hanging up. He stood on his tiptoes to see anything that might be on the shelving. One box.

Feeling like he was doing something nefarious, he set the lamp down on the floor and grabbed the wooden box. It was fairly well made. Other than that, your average box with hinges. It looked like there used to be a lock on it, but it had since been broken off. He imagined that there must be a story to it. Then, Fayt realized, there was a story to just about everything, wasn't there? In his mind, his imagination came up with a perfectly plausible story. Perhaps Albel lost the key to the lock and needed to get into it, and decided that the most effective way of opening it was to break the lock in question. The idea brought a crooked smile to Fayt's face as he set the box down on the floor.

He wondered what was in the locked drawer as he knelt beside the box. He wondered if it might be the communicator. Communicator!

Fayt immediately stopped what he was doing and grabbed his own communicator. He sent a message to Cliff:

_Did you know that Albel disappeared? Tell me what you know._

He set his communicator aside and went back to the box. The lid was stuck a little, but he managed to pry it open. The hinges creaked. A couple personal affects. They didn't mean much to Fayt, but it was only normal. People kept things that meant something to them. The only thing in the box of any interest to Fayt was a small key. Triumphant, he grabbed it and snatched up the lamp. He headed back to the office room and unlocked the drawer, a little triumphantly. He pulled the drawer open. He lifted the lamp to shed some light on the interior. His communicator beeped obnoxiously back in Albel's closet. He scowled, and went back into the closet. He grabbed the communicator. It better be important.

His heart skipped a beat when he saw who it was from: Cliff.

_Are you on Elicoor now?_

Fayt responded: _Yes. Cliff, you know something about Albel._

He left it as a statement instead of a question on purpose. He knew that Cliff knew something; he wasn't going to ask so much as demand. The next reply was a long time in coming. In fact, Fayt had just about given up on a response and had marched back to the drawer. He received another message as he came into the office.

_Albel told me that he was going to hunt down the dragon that mutilated his arm and that he might not be back for a long time, or even at all._

That is to say, that he might die in the process. The way it had been put, it seemed like Albel had wanted a long, arduous journey where he might die at the end or even middle of it and had just decided on dragon slaying. Fayt realized that he was shaking. Slowly, he sank into the dusty chair. A plume of dust rose around him. He sneezed and coughed, then sneezed again until the dust settled. He was still shaking. He didn't want Albel to die. Why had he…? He hugged his arms close to himself. _Ok. Thanks._

Fayt set his communicator down. His head lowered into his trembling palms. He felt like he was going to be sick. He had never had an opportunity to tell Albel that he was sorry.

Cliff was out the door the second the ship's engines had powered down. He practically ran all the way to Kirlsa. Fayt hadn't responded to any of his messages. He had tried not to let it bother him, but on the second day with no responses, he had dropped everything and rushed to Elicoor. He stopped at Woltar's mansion. The old man told him that Fayt was at the Training Facility. Cliff hurried to the place and had to ask someone where Fayt was. A young girl with brown eyes showed him the way.

Since Fayt had been there, the maids had come in to clean and change the bedding. It was only appropriate, considering that Fayt had been living in the room all this time. Cliff threw the door open. An office. He ran to the next door and rushed through it. Fayt was sitting on the bed, back against the wall, staring at the opposite wall with a blank look on his face.

"Cliff?" Fayt wondered. He tried to make sense of what he was seeing. Why was Cliff here?

"Fayt!" Cliff strode over to him. He gave him a once-over. Kid had sure grown up. He looked like an adult now. He hadn't shaved in a few days and even had some blue stubble. Heh. None of that childlike innocence Fayt had once had was with him anymore though. He had grown up in more ways than one. It was almost a shame.

Fayt looked up at Cliff. The years had been kind to him, but he was Klausian so that was pretty normal. Fayt saw some fine laugh lines forming at the corners of his eyes, some grey speckling his blonde hair. It was the only indication of age though and he wore it well t that. "Cliff… why are you here?"

Cliff sighed deeply, sitting down next to him on the bed. Good to know Fayt wasn't shell-shocked from the whole thing. "You weren't responding to me, and I started to worry." A brief pause. "Pretty stupid, huh?"  
Fayt laughed. "Albel would make fun of you."

Both of them fell silent. Neither knew what had happened to their ex-lover. Fayt lifted something from his lap. "I had been hoping Albel would have taken his communicator. He left it here." He dropped it in Cliff's lap. "But I guess I should have expected that."

"Probably," Cliff agreed. He picked it up briefly then set it back down. Fayt had cleaned it, even, it looked like, upgraded it.

Fayt stared up at the ceiling. "I went to the castle—in Airyglyph." He closed his eyes sadly. "In the dungeon. Hasn't changed. That's when Albel joined up with us… remember? And I took a walk in the mountains… By where we left Albel after we fought him… and he and I had sex the first time." Fayt hadn't slept in that entire time. He had been too restless to sleep, too anxious to stop for so long.

"You're worrying too much about him," Cliff assured him. "You're talking about him like he's dead."

Fayt looked away. "For all you or I know, he is." He looked at Cliff. "No one knows what's happened to him."

Cliff scratched his head. "Let's ask Nel."

Fayt almost argued then decided there was no point. It had to be better than sitting here. He followed Cliff glumly back to Kirlsa, then to Arias. They stayed at the inn, in separate beds.

Fayt rolled, watching Cliff's back, remembering a time when it might have been appropriate to go curl up in bed with him. But no more. He touched the wedding band. That had all ended some time ago, and it had been his decision moreover. He rolled back over and closed his eyes, trying to drift back into memories of the three of them tangled together in a bed that wasn't meant to hold three, close together because they wanted to be and because there was no other way to sleep together. Crowded, but comfortable. The bed was too empty even for his imagination and memories. He couldn't remember what Albel smelled like anymore, or the way his hair fell over his body in sleep. Couldn't remember how Cliff's chest had felt against his back, or the way his arms felt around him.

Slowly, a tear at the loss of those memories rolled down his cheek, gravity trailing it across his lips. Automatically, his tongue darted out, licking his lips. He rubbed his face and closed his eyes. He sighed sadly, but didn't cry.

Cliff listened to him toss and turn. Years ago, he might have held him until he settled down peacefully. Alas, it was no longer so. Interesting how circumstances change over time, for better or worse. Which of those was this circumstance? Was it better that they weren't together? Things were less complicated now, that was for sure. Or was it worse? It hurt that they were apart now. He could only say "I don't know." It was very interesting how once they had been close lovers, and now they were merely acquaintances, sleeping awkwardly and fitfully in different beds.

Fayt finally settled in his sleep, rolled onto his stomach, arms partway curling under the pillow. One of his hands slipped out from under it. The fingers curled in a dream, then relaxed.

Once he relaxed, he slept like a contented cat, Cliff mused. Yes, that fit Fayt well. A cute, cuddly-looking kitten, but with hidden claws and teeth. Fayt had been so strong. Maybe he still was. He remembered also, a common housecat caught most everything it hunted for. He certainly had. Maybe he hadn't wanted Cliff at first, but he had "hunted" for him later on. Ah, but then he tossed him aside, losing interest and chasing after Sophia. Like a cat toying with a mouse until someone opens the cat food.

Was it sad that Cliff had thought he had let go completely, but realized that some tiny spark of the lust and love he had carried for him was still there, lost amidst the coals, but existing nevertheless? Fayt had grown up. He didn't look so "cute" any more, not attractive in the way an 18-year old is attractive, but in the way a grown man is attractive. He had almost forgotten some things about Fayt—the way he talked and walked for example, but seeing him refreshed his memory. He wondered what would have became of the three of them if not for Sophia.

Cliff sighed and rolled over. Well, never mind all that.

He wondered what had happened to Albel. Why had he disappeared like this for so long? It was troubling.

He tried to remember the way the swordsman had walked. For several minutes, the images had eluded him, then he remembered. In the murky depths of his memory, he tried to remember the way he spoke, the cadence of his voice, the way the vowels fell. That one was harder, but he found that too. Maybe it had been too long. His memory fogged over his once-excellent recollection of Albel's body. He felt the blood pounding through his veins as the first inkling of panic seeped into his being. He couldn't remember. Sure, he could point him out in a crowd, but what about the way his legs had felt in his hands, the way his back arched, the way his chest heaved when he panted…?

No, don't let that memory be gone. Not that…

But then it floated to him like a lost child's toy amidst the tide. Cliff calmed and breathed a sigh of relief. It wasn't gone. He still remembered. Thank gods and goddesses, he still remembered.

Albel had been beautiful in the way a venomous snake was beautiful; lovely to look at, rare to touch, and deadly to stay near.

In the morning, they continued to Peterny, then on to Aquios. Nel was in the palace, just back from a mission. Always busy, her. They were lucky to have caught her.

They talked with her for a while, catching up on things. Nel was still working, taking missions whenever possible, rarely taking breaks even now—she enjoyed her work. Her hair was a little longer than before. Maybe she was growing it out, or just needed a haircut. She looked older, but a healthy lifestyle made her wear her years well.

Fayt asked her about Albel, but it was all the same; no one knew about him.

They could have searched the world for him. He couldn't have gotten too far. But even then, a planet was still a pretty big place to look for one person. … Especially when that one person would probably kill him on sight anyway.

Out of desperation, they even went to the Samnite Steppes and asked Roger. Roger had grown up so much that they didn't even recognize him at first. But Roger had recognized them, for sure. Despite the happy reunion, Roger didn't know anything about Albel's disappearance either, but promised to keep a lookout.

Cliff and Fayt stayed the night in Peterny and went back to Kirlsa in the morning. Cliff offered to take Fayt home. Fayt shook his head. "Just a while longer."

Cliff sighed and walked away. The Klausian was patient. He gave Fayt a week to get over the matter. Fayt still hadn't recovered by the end of the week.

Albel was gone. Probably dead, disappeared without a trace. There were no clues, no leads. Nothing. He was just… gone. Fayt knew it wasn't his fault, but he still felt like he had failed Albel somehow.

He shook his head, as if to clear it. Fine. He had tried. He had done everything he could, and it was all no good.

In the end, he wrote Albel a letter detailing how he had once felt about him, how he felt about him now—that is to say, that he wanted to be friends—and that he was sorry about everything that had happened. He added one more thing at the end, then signed it and left it in the box he had found the key in, inside an envelope with Albel's name on it. He hoped that one day, he would see it.

They boarded Cliff's ship and set coordinates for the nearest station.

"How's Mirage?" Fayt said, trying to fill the empty void of silence with meaningless conversation.

The Klausian considered his answer. He put the ship into gravitic warp once they were clear of Elicoor II. "Mirage seems to be doing well. She took over our master's dojo some time ago."

The silence permeated the ship again. Deep space and silence go together. There was something about the cold vacuum of space that sapped conversation and made the silence seem much deeper than it was. When it got to so thick that it bore down on the two like a heavy mantle, Fayt squirmed uncomfortably, scrambling for something to say. "Have you heard from Maria?"

"Not in a while," he answered bluntly. Fayt waited, but Cliff didn't volunteer any more information than that.

Fayt laced his fingers together. "How was she then?"

"She landed some project job in programming somewhere," he said. "She was dating Lieber last I heard. He finally worked up the courage to ask her out after she announced she was leaving Quark," Cliff said absently.

"Ah," Fayt said. He should have laughed, maybe applauded Lieber. Instead, it was just words and meaningless drivel. "Peppita is still in the circus. She sent me a ticket and I actually got to see her perform a couple years ago."

"Oh."

This conversation was difficult to carry on. Fayt considered giving up. He fell silent once more and remained silent for some time. He broke the silence once by asking Cliff if he wanted any coffee. The answer was no, so Fayt just made himself some. The rest of the trip lapsed into a cold silence that Fayt chose not to break. Cliff was terribly glad; he didn't feel like making conversation right now.

The blonde took Fayt to the nearest space station and Fayt boarded the next flight to Earth. The two looked at each other, one last time. Fayt looked up at Cliff, so much he wanted to say on the tip of his tongue. But there was one thing he felt like he needed to say, if he said nothing else to him, he had to say this.

He told him the last sentence he had written to Albel. Cliff's face remained passive and blank-all except his blue eyes that were in a sort of quiet turmoil, which Fayt never had the courage to look into at that moment. Fayt hesitated. The only people around were two employees, busy going over some paperwork and another person at a computer terminal, on the phone with a customer. From the expressions of the employee, it was a headache-inducing phone call.

Fayt glanced around briefly, then leaned up and kissed Cliff softly. He looked up at him, blushing a little. He turned and fled into the ship just before the attendant was about to close the gates.

Cliff blinked slowly, then turned around. That was it then. He had thought it had all been over years ago, but this was the real ending.

He walked back to the parking area. Well, that was that then.

_About five more years later_

Albel had returned… just in time to see Woltar on his death bed. Woltar told Albel in between rattling breaths that Fayt and Cliff had come back hoping to see him about five years ago. Albel told him that he had found the dragon and killed it. The old man smiled and said that he was proud of him, that his father would be too. Woltar didn't have any remaining family. A lot of people liked and cared about him, but no family. The mansion was going to the Storm Brigade, everything like that taken care of already.

He sat beside him, waiting for death to take the old man. Sometimes, he got restless and paced the hall. The waiting was terrible. Each rattling breath he took could be his last and occasionally, he could hear a gurgling noise from his throat. The nurse said it was the sound of his organs failing. Lovely.

Closer and closer to death with each breath. Albel never wanted to get old. He felt a renewed sense of determination to die on the battlefield—not in bed old and toothless. He ended up being in the room, sitting in a chair across from the bed, when the old man gasped softly. Albel walked to his side in time to see the life fade from his eyes. Somehow, it boded ill. He wasn't particularly bothered by Woltar's death. He was just bothered that he couldn't have arrived earlier.

Albel went into Woltar's office and found the key to his office, exactly where he had left it. As he walked out, he took one last glance down the hallway. The door was partway open and he could hear people inside. He looked away. It just didn't sit well that he had arrived on Woltar's last day of life. If he had been the superstitious type, he might have said it was a poor omen. As it was, it was just faintly disturbing.

He headed back to the Training Facility. To say he was welcomed warmly was an understatement, but he really wanted to be alone for a while.

He went to his room, unlocking the door. A breeze snaked its way down the hallway, stirring the dust inside the room. He covered his mouth and nose to keep from sneezing and walked inside. Things were not as he had left them. It looked as though it had been cleaned and organized some time ago. He scowled. This had been Fayt's doing, no doubt. He walked into the bedroom, looking around. Yep, it had been cleaned five years ago, most definitely.

The maids should be here soon. When he had come back, they had wanted to clean out everything. He would let them… but not just yet.

He picked up the box on the shelf in the closet, flinching against the dust. He blinked it out of his eyes. He lifted the lid with some effort. The hinges creaked, protesting the movement. He made a mental note to oil the hinges later. He sighted the key first and picked it up, but something else caught his attention. He lifted the envelope. The script was familiar and unfamiliar at the same time, but he knew who it was from. Should he just throw it away without reading it? He hesitated at that, then decided to tear it open anyway. He set the key down and was about to rip open the envelope when a knock at the door interrupted him. He blinked. Who was that? A second knock echoed the first. Oh, the cleaning crew. He had nearly forgotten about them.

He called them in. He put the box and the key away, but kept the letter. However, he didn't open it—not yet. He needed to speak to King Airyglyph anyway. He could wait on the letter. He wasn't _that_ curious.

But why had Fayt come here five years ago? Just to see him? That seemed… But then again, this was Fayt, after all. _Fayt_… He wondered how he was doing, and then wondered why. They had left on such bad terms. He hadn't thought much about him in some time. Why wonder about him now? And what about Cliff? He made a mental note to at least contact Cliff some time later—Cliff had never stabbed at his conscience the way Fayt did, never hurt him quite the way Fayt had. Sure, Cliff had hurt him. They had all hurt each other in one way or another, but Fayt… Fayt had not only hurt him, destroyed their relationship, he had done it in the worst possible way. All the same…

The letter pricked at his curiosity the way spring pricked at the snow. He was halfway there before he decided to plop down on the nearest sizeable rock and grab it. He stared at the letter for a time. The wind rustled his hair, blowing one of the rat tails across his lap. It had grown quite a bit since he had been gone.

He hadn't bothered to cut it, and now it was almost to the back of his knees. He pushed the rat tails aside. He needed to cut it, especially the front. He shoved some of the mass of hair out of his eyes. Some of it was turning grey with age. A strand of silver brushed across his face. Time does that, and now his hair was three different colours—imagine that. Hell, it may be turning colour but at least he still had all of it.

What had it been-ten years since he had last seen Fayt and Cliff? He had talked to Cliff briefly over the communicator, but that hardly counted. He looked down the hill at Kirlsa. Should he really read it? Wouldn't it just be more of Fayt whining?

He sighed. Or would Fayt have something useful to say?

It was five years ago though. Wouldn't it be more effective to just throw it away? Maybe just send him an e-mail on the communicator or something? It had been sitting there for almost seven years untouched—unless Fayt had moved it around, then it was five. Would it even still work? Something told him that it would. He fingered the letter thoughtfully. Or should he shove it back in his pack and wait? Surely, he could wait.

Hell, he hadn't seen Fayt in ten years.

_Maybe_, Albel thought dryly, _I'm getting old._

He tore open the letter.

The script was legible. He knew that Fayt wrote in a different language than his, so Fayt must have used his communicator to write it. He grinned at that, picturing Fayt taking four times as long to write this. He had hand-written it after all. Must have been difficult. He could at least appreciate that—Fayt had actually put time and effort in to writing this. No matter what it said, Fayt had done more than just whine; he had worked on it.

The first paragraph was all in past-tense, detailing how Fayt had felt about him years ago... about how Fayt had loved them. He sighed sadly. If only Fayt had confessed this twelve years ago before they had all left the first time. Hell, ten years ago! In a rage, he almost tore it up and burned it.

But the past was just that, the past. Nothing to be done about it now. Besides, he was guilty of the same crime. They all were. He sighed again and continued on to the next paragraph. Yes, he was older and more mature.

It detailed how Fayt felt about Albel now. He wanted to be friends. He didn't love him anymore, but he wanted so much to be friends. He didn't want Albel to hate him anymore. He wanted to be able to talk to him again.

Albel knew it wasn't good enough. It sounded better than nothing, but the way he felt, it was all or nothing at all. A grey area wasn't good enough. No, he wouldn't go for that. Not after all the shit Fayt had pulled—leaving, marrying Sophia… No, their current relationship-or lack thereof-would do. It had worked this long. Why stop now?

The third paragraph was that Fayt was sorry-terribly, heartbreakingly sorry about everything he had done to both Albel and Cliff. Fayt had borne this guilt a long time.

Hell, let him continue to bear it. Albel wouldn't forgive him for marrying Sophia. Not now, not ever. An apology wasn't quite enough. Words weren't enough to bridge the wide canyon that had grown between them. So Fayt could forget about him being forgiving. Fuck that idea to hell. But then again, Fayt hadn't seemed to expect it anyway.

The last sentence elicited this reaction from the Elicoorian: Albel ground his teeth in a fury that hadn't been broached since Fayt had declared his engagement. He crumbled up the sheet of paper and set it on fire. He watched it burn and kicked the ashes, scattering them to the winds. Albel turned and continued on his way to the castle.

He didn't love Fayt, he didn't want to be friends, and he certainly didn't forgive him. But as he was walking away, he realized that there never could have been a happy ending anyway, and that knowledge seemed to soothe him. There was no such thing as a happy ending, despite all the children's tales and songs. There could never be a happy ending… because nothing ever ends.

The last sentence was this:

_Sophia died during childbirth, and our child with her._

_ -Fayt Leingod_

Owari

A note from the author: Did you like it? I hope so! Anyway, if I get a large enough amount of requests, I'm going to make this into a doujinshi, so send me a message or a comment to let me know!


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